Beneath You
by OrangeFuu
Summary: Rukia is in love with her captain. Or at least she thinks so. RukiaxUkitake
1. Thoughts in Opacity

**AN: **Well, I decided that I should try my hand at writing a Bleach fic. Actually, this is just a one shot. This is RukiaxUkitake, somewhat. So you no likey, you no read. Enjoy the chapter below and review if you can.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Please do not sue; I have no money.

* * *

**Beneath You**

**Chapter One:** Thoughts in Opacity

It's dark in here. You'd think that with my window open, more moonlight would come in. I hate the silence. It forces me to think about my problems. Problems that I wish would just go away. Or solve themselves; whichever is first.

See, the problem I have is that I'm in love with my captain, Jyuushiro Ukitake. Now, as his new lieutenant, Rukia Kuchiki, I do understand that this is not appropriate. But I can't just turn that off. For those of you who have been in or are currently in my situation, you know it doesn't work that way. I wish it did.

Everyday it gets harder for me to control my feelings for him. Believe me, it's not unbridled lust or anything like that. It's just that I respect him so much that how I feel about him mutated from innocent admiration and reverence to not-so-innocent, deep, heartfelt love. I don't know when it happened or if I had any idea it was happening. All I know is that one morning I woke, saw his beautiful face at breakfast in the eating quarters and a new feeling entered my heart. He bid me good morning with that dazzling smile of his, and I knew right then I would be his if he wanted so. I just knew.

Now, in the darkness of this room my heart and I crave for the light of the sun to shrink these shadows away into the recesses of my mind. I can never let him know that I love him, and while it doesn't seem fair, this burden can never be lifted from my shoulders. Not now.

Maybe one day I will be in a position where I can tell him, but it won't be soon. I have too much to do, time would not allow anyway. But someday he will know what my heart has been aching to say since that morning when I knew his cheerful voice and stunning smile.

Someday.

* * *

**AN: Very short I know, but I may or may not be in the process of mapping out a story for this. If anyone wants me to continue, I have an idea in tow. If not, then this will stay as it is. Please do not think I am being mean about this, but I already have a story in progress, that's all. Review and tell me what you want!**


	2. Distraction

**AN:** At first, I wasn't going to continue this, but why not? I think this pairing is cute, so I hope I will do it justice with this fic. Okay then, you are now served with Chapter Two.

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**Beneath You**

**Chapter Two: **Distraction

"Good morning, everyone," Rukia said, entering the eating area with a clipboard in her hands. She sat down at the nearest table as her subordinates made room for her. "I hope you are all ready for today's training."

"Of course Lieutenant Kuchiki," a chorus of voices replied.

"That's great to hear. From what our Captain tells me, today is supposed to be grueling."

"I'm sure we'll be able to handle whatever he throws at us," more voices chimed.

She smiled at them, in pure amusement at their enthusiasm. "We'll see."

"Yes. We will," the familiar voice of Captain Ukitake sounded from right behind her. She nearly jumped five feet in the air when she heard him, and when she turned to face him, the redness of her cheeks made him laugh. "I can see I scared you. I apologize."

"It's okay," she replied, lowering her burning face. "Excuse me, I have work to do."

She stood up and scurried away from the table and out into the hall, trying her hardest to appear calm, all the while her heartbeat was echoing in her ears. She turned a corner and stopped to lean against the wall, hugging the clipboard into her chest. She took a few deep breaths, brushed her hair out of her face, and then pushed herself off of the wall. Once she got herself together, she continued down the hall. "Lieutenant..."

"Yes?" she answered, turning over her shoulder, not immediately recognizing the voice that called her.

"Do you mind if we talk for a second?" Ukitake said, approaching her.

She gulped. "No, I don't mind. Go ahead."

"I was thinking that maybe you shouldn't participate in today's training. I think you'd be better in observing everyone's progress."

An eyebrow raised in confusion. "I thought that you were the one that observes. I'm... afraid I don't understand."

He glanced at the floor, then back up to her dark eyes. "I know I usually do it myself but... I might... need some help, that's all."

Her heart flip-flopped in her chest, and while she was absolutely elated at his request, she surprisingly kept herself calm. "Sure, I'll help you. Whatever you need to me to do, I will."

"Great," he nodded, his silky white hair playing about his slender shoulders. "Gather everyone at about noon. We'll start soon after that."

"Yes sir," she said, watching him walk off with longing eyes. _'He wants me to help him... And he seemed so shy about it. Maybe he... no, that can't be it.'_

"... Lieutenant Kuchiki," a voice faded in, shattering her personal thoughts. She looked to her left and saw a face she did not recognize. He was tall and muscular, with short brown hair that looked a little messy and unkempt. He stared down at her with green, questioning eyes. "Are you not going to train with us?"

"No, I'm not. Why do you ask?"

He lowered his head as his cheeks flushed. "I wanted to spar with you a little. I was hoping you could give me tips."

She smiled at him kindly, wanting to ease his embarrassment. She also was a little flattered at his concern, yet, unnerved at his demeanor despite his threatening build. "Don't worry, we can fight a little later. But for today's squad training, our Captain needs me for observations. Now, I know you're new to this squad, but... what is your name?"

He raised his head and beamed into her face with newfound confidence. "My name is Junichi. And I look forward to learning all I can from you and Captain Ukitake."

"That's great, Junichi, but I've got to get going. See you at training." She gave him a final smile then rounded to corner toward her small office. As she walked, she thought about the encounter she just had. How could she not have seen him before? Maybe she hadn't been paying attention. But then, there was no conceivable way that she could have missed such a handsome shinigami... especially one in her squad. But the important thing is that she knows him now, and maybe a late-afternoon friendly spar wouldn't be so bad after all. Actually, she found herself looking forward to it.

--

"I was very impressed," Ukitake said, taking a seat at his desk and leaning back in his chair. "I can tell that everyone has been practicing."

"Yes sir, they have," Rukia agreed, sliding the door to her Captain's office behind her. "And I'm sure they are all glad to know that you are pleased in their progress."

"Indeed I am."

Rukia hurried and sat in the chair facing his desk. "Where would you like me to put your observation papers?"

"On my desk will be fine," he answered, scratching the top of his head. Pausing for a moment, he continued, "so, what are your plans for tonight?"

She shrugged as she set the folders where he indicated. "I don't have anything special planned. Why?"

He cleared his throat and moved his scratching hand to the back of his head. "Well, I thought that maybe --"

"Oh!" Rukia gasped, standing abruptly. "I do have something to do. I promised Junichi that I'd train with him this afternoon. Excuse me sir, I have to go. I bet he's waiting on me."

Ukitake could only stare at her quickly retreating form as she exited the room. He blinked a few times, then sighed. Then he said to himself, "maybe you would like to go to dinner with me."

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**AN: **Ta-da! There you have it. Distractions are all around us, aren't they? Clearly they are around Rukia! Anyway, review if you like and Chapter Three will be upon you soon. Promise.


	3. Missing

**AN:** Alright now. I will present you with Chapter Three in a moment. But first, I would like to remind everyone that I do not own Bleach. I'm really bad about disclaimers and I always forget to put them. So there it is. Now, enjoy the following text and review if you can.

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**Beneath You**

**Chapter Three: **Missing

"Lieutenant Kuchiki, I'm a little surprised you are here," Junichi said, rising to his feet from his sitting position on the grass. He looked around the empty field, then back to her. "I thought that you would be a little late, considering that you probably had some important squad business to take care of."

"Not really. Besides, I told you I'd be here. I don't break my promises," Rukia told him, approaching his towering figure. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you choose me to train with?"

His eyes averted to the ground as he tried to hide his embarrassed face. "I... thought that you... could help me."

She folded her arms over her chest and glared at him with amused eyes. "If you really think that I'd believe that, then you must be mistaken."

His eyes shot back up to hers in surprise. Then after a moment, they softened. "I can't tell you the actual reason. Not yet."

"Okay," she nodded, skeptically. She raised an suspicious eyebrow to show him that she was watching him, then she drew her sword. "Well, I didn't come here to discuss why I came here. If you want to train with me, then let's go."

He smiled at her in eager anticipation, then drew his sword as well. "Alright. Let's go."

* * *

"Captain, why are you waiting outside of Lieutenant Kuchiki's office?" a passing subordinate asked his captain.

"I am waiting for her to return," he answered. "Do you happen to know where she is?"

"No sir. But if you want me to, I can go and find her for you."

Ukitake closed his eyes and sighed. "Yes. Please do that for me. And when you find her, tell her that I've been looking for her since she left my office four hours ago."

"Yes sir."

The shinigami ran off to fulfill his superior's order, but Ukitake wasn't very optimistic. He had been looking for her for a while now, and he could not find her anywhere on his squad grounds. He still wanted to invite her to dinner with him, but by this hour, dinner would be considered late. He decided that when he found her, he could ask her to accompany him tomorrow night. Surely, she wouldn't have any plans then. And if she did, he would simply ask her to re-schedule them. There was something he had to tell her, and he didn't want to wait any longer. He had waited long enough; his patience was wearing thin, and he would not be denied anymore.

He wanted to tell her that he was interested in her, more than a captain should be with his lieutenant. But he couldn't help how he felt; and both of them are adults that can manage a relationship outside of their squad duties. It had been done before; and he knew that he and Rukia could do it as well. He was fairly sure that she felt the same way about him, so his confession to her shouldn't be _too_ awkward. If everything went the way he hoped it would, then she would throw her arms around his neck and hug him fiercely. He'd hug her back and whisper into her hair that he would do whatever it took so they could be together. He'd endure the weird looks he'd get from the other captains once they found out what was going on with his lieutenant. But he wouldn't care. As long as he'd end up in her arms at the end of the day, everything would be worth it.

He sighed in contentment at his daydream, and he barely noticed the smile that crept onto his face. Oh, how he wanted everything to turn out okay. He wanted to make her happy, and he figured the sooner he told her, the sooner they could be together. Hope renewed, he couldn't wait until he saw her again.

* * *

"That was some great fighting that you did," Rukia sighed, plopping down onto the dry grass. She placed her sword on the ground next to her and rubbed the grass from her hands.

Junichi nodded as he sat next to her. "You're right. That was pretty good. But I didn't think we'd be here until it was dark out."

"Yeah." Rukia titled her head back to stare into the dark sky. "The stars are pretty bright. They're pretty much the only lights out here. If we train together again, we should make sure that we start in the early afternoon. I suggested that we stop because now it's a little too dark to see."

"Makes sense. But still, it was fun." He scooted a little closer to her, and when he concluded that she didn't notice, he moved a little closer. "We should really do this again."

"Yep," she replied, eyes still cast upward.

He paused for a moment, undecided whether or not he should follow his instinct on what to do next. After a quick, silent battle within himself, he decided to carry out his plan. Swiftly, by design, he used his height (even while sitting) to position his head over hers and captured her lips in a kiss.

Her eyes widened considerably, but found herself not pushing him away. Instead, her eyes fell closed and enjoyed the embrace. When he pulled away, she looked at him in surprise in place of anger. "Junichi..." she whispered, running her fingers over her lips. "What was that for?"

"That was the real reason why I asked you to train with me today," he said, scratching behind his ear. For the first time that day, he didn't lower his face to the floor. "I like you, Lieutenant Kuchiki. I just couldn't find any other way to get you alone long enough to tell you."

"Wow." She lowered her gaze. "I don't know what to say."

"Say that you'll go to dinner with me tomorrow night. Please."

She looked back up at him, a kind smile replacing her expression of worry. "Sure."

* * *

"Sir, I couldn't find her anywhere."

"I didn't think you would," Ukitake shook his head, leaning back in his chair. "Well, what I have to tell her will have to wait until tomorrow. Maybe I'll find her early enough before she makes any plans."

"Are we dismissed for the day?"

"What time is it?"

"It is half past eleven, sir."

"Then yes. Tell everyone to get some sleep."

"Thank you sir."

He nodded, and the man left the room. Ukitake leaned further back in his chair, and ran his hands over his face. He was starting to get a little worried about Rukia, but he knew that she couldn't be in any trouble; she was just nowhere to be found. He really wanted to reveal his secret to her tonight, but since that didn't work out, he'd have to settle for the morning. But that thought left him uneasy; he had a feeling that something happened tonight that might cause him a problem in the future. He wasn't sure if it had to do with Rukia or not, but something at the back of his mind was telling him that an issue will present itself soon. He hoped he was wrong, and he started to prepare himself for leaving his office for the night. He stood and pushed his chair in, then rounded to desk to approach the door. He exited and locked the door behind him, then began his trek down the hallway to his private quarters, whistling a tune he remembered from years ago. He didn't feel like whistling, but it was all he could do to keep himself sane.

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**AN: **Oh, the plot thickens, does it not? Maybe everything will work out, or maybe it won't. Who really knows... besides me? Well, Chapter Four is heading your way, so be prepared. Review if you can.


	4. Concede

**AN: **Haha! We have arrived at Chapter Four, have we not? I do believe we have. Anyway, thank you to all the reviewers. Any input or encouragement always is helpful. I always love reading them, they make me brim over with joy. Really... they do. Okay, enough of that. Enjoy the following chapter.

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**Beneath You**

**Chapter Four:** Concede

"Sir, Lieutenant Kuchiki has arrived in her office."

"Thank you. I am on my way."

The door slid shut, and the 13th Squad Captain rose to his feet. He straightened out his robes, took a deep breath, and stepped from behind his desk toward the door. He exited his secluded office and made his way down the hallway to see his lieutenant. Last night, he was a little angry with her for her lack of appearances. But after a night of thinking and a nice sleep, he was feeling a little more jovial and relaxed than before. He planned to tell her his feelings with his head held high and plenty of confidence.

Stopping at the door of his destination, he knocked on the frame. No answer. "Lieutenant?"

"Yes sir?" a voice behind him said.

A little startled but hidden well, he turned to see Rukia looking into his face. She was carrying a large paper bag with folders sticking out of the top. "You were looking for me?"

"Yes... I was. Let me get that for you," he said, taking the bag from her quivering hands. "I hoping that we could talk for a moment or two."

She nodded as she passed him to open her office door. "Sure. But we should probably --"

A deep gasp escaped her throat as she beheld the sight in her office. Every place she looked was yellow; mostly because the room was filled with bright dandelions. She tip-toed inside the room, in awe at the beautifully colored flowers. A wide smile playing on her face, she carefully moved the vase that sat in her chair. She lowered it to the floor with so much care one would think the flowers would dissipate if handled too roughly. Ukitake followed behind her and took a scan of the room. Based on his expression, it was clear that he was not very happy with what he was seeing. Forcing as much hostility as he could out of his voice, he asked, "where should I put these?"

"On my chair," she told him over her shoulder as she searched for a card. "I wonder who sent these?"

"Me too." He slowly was losing the anger battle. But quick thinking gave him a plan. "Rukia, can we talk before you look for the card? I have other things I have to do."

She stood up from her stooping position. "Sure. We'll talk first. I don't want to keep you, sir."

He rubbed his hands together. "Good. Listen, I wanted to tell you that --"

"Oh! There it is!" she squealed, diving for the small tan envelope. "Excuse me sir, I won't be able to concentrate on anything until I find out who sent these."

Wide-eyed, he watched her open the envelope and pull the paper out. "Wait, Rukia --"

"Junichi? He sent these?" she asked herself aloud, looking around the room once more. "Wow. He was serious about yesterday."

"Yesterday? What happened yesterday?"

She looked at her superior with an embarrassed smile. "Nothing. As you were saying..."

He was surprised by her answer. _Nothing?_ In the past, she told him if she was seeing anyone, and he was a bit rattled that she wouldn't tell him now. But he didn't have time to contemplate their current relationship; he now had her attention, and finally he can tell her what was going on inside him. "Rukia... I wanted to say --"

"Sir, what time is our training sessions?" his third seat asked from the open door.

Ukitake had to close his eyes and breathe deeply to keep from crying out. Over his shoulder, he nearly growled, "This afternoon. Around three. And tell everyone not to come in here until I have left. Understand?"

"Yes sir."

Training his eyes on her once more, he decided to blurt it out before anymore interruptions came along. "Rukia, I wanted to know if you would like to go out with me tonight. Maybe dinner?"

Her mouth dropped and her eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Of course. But may I ask why you would like dinner with me?"

"It's because I would like to spend more time with you. I think that we could be closer than we are now."

She nodded her head in comprehension. "I see. A captain and lieutenant should be good friends to work effectively together."

This time, his eyebrows hit the ceiling. She didn't understand. "No, I mean that I want us to be closer. More than friends..."

"... more than friends? You mean like... "

"Yes."

Her mouth formed an 'O'. "Well... I'd love to, but..."

"But what?"

Her eyes found the ground and didn't want to leave. "I sort of told Junichi that I'd have dinner with him tonight."

Ukitake shrugged. "Okay then. Maybe we could go out tomorrow. Is that alright?"

She lifted her eyes. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. "Y-yes. Tomorrow will be fine."

"Great," he said, smiling down at her, eyes twinkling. "Have a good day."

"Yes sir." She stared after him as he left her office, and once he was gone, she collapsed onto the floor.

_I can't believe that he wants us to be... more than friends. I had no clue he felt that way! My heart almost burst in my chest when he said that! And while I've been waiting for so long to hear him say those words, I feel almost... torn between him and Junichi. Well, maybe what I feel for Junichi isn't really anything at all; just something to hold me over long enough for Jyuushiro to come for me. Yes, that's it! There's nothing real between me and Junichi. Tomorrow night will be great; I just have to get through tonight._

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**AN:** Wow, Rukia's in a predicament, isn't she? Maybe everything will turn out the way she's hoping, or maybe it won't. I'm sure we're all pulling for her... maybe not. Chapter Five is coming soon. Review if you like and have a nice day!


	5. Interrogation

**AN:** Chapter Five is upon us. Will Rukia succeed in scaring away a potential suitor or will he continue to cloud her judgment? Let's find out!

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**Beneath You**

**Chapter Five: **Interrogation

"Alright. All I have to do is survive my date with Junichi. I just have to let him down gently so I won't hurt his feelings. That's not too hard, is it?" Rukia asked her friend and fellow lieutenant, Matsumoto Rangiku.

"No, you should be able to do that," Rangiku answered, smoothing out her hair as she set her brush down. Whirling in her chair away from the mirror, she continued. "That guy's got to understand that Captain Ukitake is the one you want. I mean, you practically love the man, right?"

Rukia didn't answer as she rose from her friend's bed. "Your room is really nice," she said instead. "I like the color scheme."

Rangiku rolled her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "Please don't tell me that you aren't sure anymore."

"Well, just when I was starting to think that nothing would ever materialize between myself and my captain, Junichi came along and stirred up something inside me. I _thought_ I wanted Captain Ukitake, but with Junichi around, I'm beginning to doubt myself."

"Okay," Rangiku said, clapping and rubbing her hands together. "Does Junichi do anything that your first guy doesn't?"

Rukia raised her eyes to the ceiling. "Well... we spend time together, we talk, he filled my office with flowers..."

"Really? He sent you enough flowers to fill your office? I wish Hisagi would do that."

"I have fun with Junichi. But what I feel for him isn't as strong as my feelings for Captain Ukitake."

The bright haired vice captain arched an eyebrow. "Then I don't see the problem. You aren't making sense. What are you trying to say?"

Rukia sat back down on the bed. She interlaced her fingers and took a moment to stare down at her shoes. Finally, she said, "I'm trying to say that... if I spend any more time with Junichi, he might completely change my mind about how I feel about Captain Ukitake. One night is long enough to do something like that, and if he can influence me _that_ easily, then how serious was I about this to begin with?"

"Okay, if you are so afraid of falling for this guy, then give him a handshake and bid him farewell. Don't even go out with him."

In frustration, Rukia leaned into the mattress to lay on her back. "It's not that easy!"

"It is. Look, just accept Ukitake and Junichi will just go away. Not too hard."

"But I can't do that. I can't accept him with a clear conscious knowing that I may have feelings for another lurking inside of me. I have to resolve all of this with Junichi... tonight."

* * *

"Is that what you're going to wear?" Rangiku's asked, this time sitting on Rukia's bed.

"What wrong with it?" she asked, twirling around in the mirror.

"Wearing a short halter dress does not say, _'I'm breaking up with you."_

"What does it say?"

"_Come on over to my place_."

"Oh shut up," Rukia laughed, throwing a pillow at her ."It does not."

"Either way, you can't wear that."

"Why not?"

Rangiku rose to her feet and stood in front of Rukia. Resting her hands on her shoulders, she said, "you want to get rid of the guy, not attract him. When you tell him that you can't see him, you don't want him looking down your dress at -- the little cleavage you _do_ have."

Rukia followed her friend's eyes down to her chest. "You're right. I don't have much. How discouraging."

"Forget the ant bites and look at the bigger picture," Rangiku said, giving her a hard shake. "If you want him gone, then you can't make it easier for him to want you more."

The dark haired lieutenant nodded in agreement. "I got it. I'll wear the most conservative thing I have."

"How about your shinigami robes? They don't reveal anything."

Looking down at her chest once more, Rukia muttered, "at least mine don't."

* * *

"Hey, Rukia! I'm so glad you can... make... it..." Junichi trailed off as she approached him. "Why are you wearing your robes?"

Nonchalantly looking down at her attire, she shrugged. "Didn't feel like dressing up."

He gave her another sweeping look, then shrugged back. "That's fine. Sometimes we don't want to dress up. It's okay."

As he turned away to lead her into the restaurant, she grimaced and followed after him. Taking in his appearance, she noticed that he looked nice, a stark contrast to her bland shinigami robes. His dark brown pants and lighter brown dress shirt really complimented him, and she could tell that he put some serious thought into his outfit. For a moment, she felt bad for showing up how she did, but she had to remember to focus on her objective: scare him away.

Once finding a table and ordering drinks, the conversation started. Determined to reach her goal, Rukia started. "So, what do you think about pre-martial sex?"

Junichi's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when he heard her question. "W-what?"

Crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair, she repeated her question. "What do you think about pre-marital sex? Are you okay with it, or do you think people should wait for marriage?"

His green eyes averted hers as he thought for a suitable answer. "Well... I think that people should wait... but if they are really in love... I guess they could go for it a little early. I guess."

She looked at him with narrowed eyes. He pretty much fell into her trap. She could work with this. "So. I guess you're a little new to all of this. See, I believe that people should show their love for each other in every way. If it happens to be sex, go for it! Why should couples wait for marriage? If you like them, give 'em some bodily love!"

His gaze concentrated on her, bewildered at her answer to her own question. Surely she couldn't be serious. "Is... that how you really feel?"

Excited that her plan seemed to be working, Rukia decided to push it a little further. "Of course that's what I think. Of course I have to keep all of that under wraps. Just think of what our Captain would say if he found out! What if he found out about all the guys I was with back in the 'real world'? He'd flip out; that prude. See, I don't want to be judged on my obvious sexual prowess, but I don't want to risk my job as a Lieutenant. So, you've got to keep this a secret between us, okay?"

He slowly nodded. "Yeah. I won't say anything."

"Good." She paused as she watched him uneasily pick up his menu and sift through its pages. She figured that she'd give him a second or two to recover before she shocked him again with her next question. When she thought he was ready, she let the inquiry fly. "Are you open to trying new things? More specifically, how do you feel about threesomes?"

Junichi immediately dropped the menu onto the table, then scrambled to pick it up again. "Um... well... I-I don't really k-know about all that. I-I never thought about d-doing that."

"Well, I do," she said, scooting to the edge of her seat. Leaning over the table, she whispered, "I just had one last night."

His mouth dropped. "Really? With who?"

Thinking quickly, she answered, "Now, I can't tell you that. That happens to be classified information. But I will tell you that they are my regular sex partners. And I'll tell you that one's a guy and the other's a girl. Y'know, I like to experiment."

Junichi shook his head, trying to clear it of what he was hearing. He didn't expect to see _this_ side of Rukia. He figured that she was a wholesome girl who he could spent time with. He never thought that she would be as wild as this! He stood up, and let the menu drop from his hand and onto the table again. "I can't do this," he announced. "I didn't know that you were into those kinds of things. I hope that we can friends, but I don't think that we should be seeing each other. I'm sorry."

Looking up at him as casually as she could, she re-crossed her arms and shrugged. "Your loss. See you at training tomorrow. I guess I can call my friends and we'll have some fun. I can't let tonight go to waste."

He gave her one last incredulous stare, and hurried out the door. Once she was sure he was gone, she erupted into laughter. She had cover her mouth to stifle her giggles. She was so happy that her plan had worked, and that she could accept her Captain fully now. Strolling outside with high spirits, she decided to actually call a friend. Matsumoto, specifically.

But to talk, nothing else.

Promise.

* * *

**AN:** Hope that the preceding text was enjoyable. I will be updating soon, so be prepared! Review if you please.


	6. Fail

**AN: **I'm back. Here is Chapter Six, served hot and ready! Enjoy.

* * *

**Beneath You**

**Chapter Six:** Fail

"It worked? Just like that?"

"It sure did," Rukia nodded, taking a seat on Matsumoto's bed. "He said he didn't want to see me anymore, and he left. It worked!"

Matsumoto clapped her hands together. "That's great! Now there's nothing to stand in the way of you and your man. So, are you going to talk to him tonight or do you want to bask in your glory of scaring off the boy?"

"I think I'll talk to him tomorrow. My squad will be practicing all together tomorrow. We'll both be spectating, so that would be the perfect time."

Matsumoto twirled around in her chair to face her wide mirror. "You know what? I think that it would be fun if we all went on a double date. We could all go shopping together! Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Rukia ran her fingers through her thin hair. "It sounds like fun, but I don't think that we should do that. It would be kind of weird."

"Why?"

"Well, a bunch of Lieutenants and a Captain? I don't know, it just seems like it would be weird."

"If you say so."

Rukia sprawled out on her friend's bed and sighed into the covers. "I love your bed. I think I'll stay here the night. I deserve the softness after the feat I just pulled off."

"Well, I think different," Matsumoto said, turning in her chair to face Rukia again. "Hisagi's coming over tonight, and let me tell you, there will be no room for you in that bed. I can promise you that."

The dark haired woman reluctantly rose to her feet. Brushing out her robes, she said, "you know, you and Hisagi shouldn't be doing what you two are doing. I mean, every night? At least rest a few days in between. You two are like rabbits, except you aren't having kids. Yet."

"Oh shut up. Now leave; he'll be here in a few minutes. And I can't have you scaring him off like you did Junichi."

"Oh, Matsumoto! Your jokes are absolutely _the best_ I've ever heard," Rukia said, pretending to hold her sides in laughter. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow. I don't want to hear about how sore you are again --"

"All right, all right! Good night, now go! I got a man to please."

* * *

Whistling to herself and enjoying the sunlight of the new day, Rukia entered her squad building in high spirits. She rounded the corner to her office, and reached into her robe for the key. Usually she didn't lock her office door, but for some reason, she felt that she needed to. Unlocking the door and sliding it open, she dropped the clipboard she was holding and gawked at what she saw.

More flowers.

"Wow," she gasped as she stepped over a few pots in the doorway. She toured the room, glancing at all the different colors that decorated her office. "These must be from Captain Ukitake. He must've sent these because he knows that our date is tonight! Now, where's the card?"

After a few minutes of hunting and sifting through all the leafy plants, she found it. She undid the envelope and took out the card. She read it and her smile dropped. "Junichi? He thinks he could look past all my activities and we can still go out? And he's going to work on being more adventurous so he can join in on my fun? Is he serious?"

"Yes, Rukia, I am." She jumped when she heard the unexpected voice and whirled around to see Junichi standing behind her, beaming. "I want to be the guy you want. If that means stepping out of my comfort zone, then that's what I'm going to do. The next time you want to have a... threesome... then count me in. I'm going for it!"

She closed her eyes and sighed. She could feel the impending headache. It wasn't pleasant. "Junichi... how can I tell you this?"

"Oh, you don't want an inexperienced guy? Sure this whole group sex thing is new to me, but let me tell you --"

"Junichi! Listen to me," Rukia cut him off. She had to tell him the truth, all of it. "Look, I lied about everything I said I was involved with last night. I made all of that up to try to convey something to you. But clearly, you didn't get it."

He looked at her with clouded eyes. "What were you trying to tell me?"

"I was trying to scare you away from me. I thought by telling you that I liked doing those things I would run you off."

"So... you want to get rid of me." His eyes drifted to the floor. His voice was soft. "Why?"

Her voice lowered as well. "I don't think that we should be seeing each other. Besides, there's someone else. I don't want to string you along."

He slowly nodded his head. "I understand. See you around, Lieutenant Kuchiki."

She watched as he walked away, his shoulders slumped and head drooped. She was heartbroken at how he took the news, but she knew that he would recover. And she knew that she had a wonderful man waiting for her, and would be worth all the trouble she went through.

* * *

"You look wonderful," he said, stepping back and taking in the sight of the beautiful woman who stood before him. He flashed her his dazzling smile, and his shining eyes told her that he approved of her appearance.

"Thank you Captain," she replied, smoothing her hands over her dark blue dress, setting the material to fall against her skin softly. She reached up and flipped a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and silently cursed Matsumoto for missing a few hairs when she was pulling Rukia's dark hair into an elegant style. Rukia had to admit; it felt a little different to have her hair out of her face and off of her neck, but for this man, she would shave her head if he wanted her to.

"Please, when we are out like this, I want you to call me Jyuushiro," he told her, holding out his arm for her to take. "Please."

Rukia's face turned a deep red at his request, and she shyly took his arm to follow him inside the waiting restaurant. "Okay... Jyuushiro... thank you," she said, lowering her eyes in humble embarrassment.

He noticed her nervousness and decided to try to make casual conversation. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable; he wanted her to be relaxed, which was far from where she currently was. "I think that you will like this place. It's very calming and food is excellent."

She briefly looked up at him before settling her eyes in front of her. "I'm sure that if you find this place to be nice, then I'll like it too."

He smiled at her again, catching on to her oncoming confidence. Now _that's_ the Rukia he had grown to adore.

"Welcome Captain Ukitake sir," the doorman said, bowing low. "I see that you are back here to see us again... and it appears that you have brought a lady with you."

"Yes, I have," Jyuushiro said, motioning toward the blushing woman on his arm. "This is my Lieutenant, Rukia Kuchiki. We are out for a nice dinner."

The doorman bowed for Rukia, eliciting another round of reddened cheeks. "I hope you two enjoy your meal. Have a nice night."

Jyuushiro nodded at the doorman, thanked him, and led Rukia inside the building. From his peripherals, he watched her reaction as they walked through the room, past all the tables and to the back where the booths were. As her eyes seemed to widen with every step they took, he laughed to himself. She was priceless. "I prefer to sit back here," he explained, allowing her sit first. "This is the best place to hear the band. You're not too close, nor too far away."

"The band? There's music here too? I thought this was just a restaurant."

"Usually it is. But if I request a band, they bring one. It's surprising how accommodating they are."

"Only to you, maybe."

He picked up his glass of water and gave her a wink before lifting it to his lips. "Maybe."

Her eyes drifted to her hands as she tried to hide the effects of her fluttering heart. _'I can't believe I'm here right now. This is amazing; he's amazing.'_

But the one thing that she wished she hadn't heard filled her ears at that very moment. "Rukia... is that you?"

She recognized that voice, and her head popped up to see Junichi, standing next to the table. He looked at her curiously, then to Jyuushiro. It took him a second to realize what was going on, but his expression changed when he finally understood. "Are you two on a date?"

"Yes, we are," Jyuushiro answered calmly, setting down his glass. "It's a surprise to see you here. Are you here with someone?"

The new shinigami nodded. "Yes sir, but she's in the ladies room right now. I just thought I'd come over and say 'hello'."

The Captain smiled up at him. "That's good to hear. So, I forget, what is your name again?"

Holding out his hand, the younger of the two introduced himself. "My name is Junichi."

Shaking the outstretched hand, Jyuushiro's eyes widened. "Junichi... the flowers..."

* * *

**AN: **Wow, her two men in one place? Isn't that interesting? I think it is. Hopefully these two won't fight for any reason...right? Yeah, we'll see.


	7. Confrontation

**AN: **Well, I return to update rather soon! I am excited about my new laptop because I can write and post more often, and I think this is great! But anyway, enjoy the following chapter, and review if you will.

* * *

**Beneath** **You  
****Chapter Seven:** Confrontation

Junichi's eyes widened. "Flowers? What are you talking about?"

"Aren't you the guy who kept sending Rukia flowers?"

"...yeah. But how do you know about it?"

Rukia slowly began to shake in uneasy anticipation. She didn't like where this conversation was going between the two men. The two of them fighting was the last thing that she wanted to happen, and she resolved to prevent the harsh words before it began. "Uh, Junichi, isn't your date back from the restroom?"

He ignored her. "How do you know about the flowers?"

Jyuushiro turned further in his chair to face him. "I saw them in her office. Does that bother you?"

A twitch in Junichi's eyebrow answered his question, but words followed. "Actually, I think it does. Are you the _other man_?"

"The other man? What?"

Rukia began to shake even more. She _really_had to stop this conversation! "Junichi! Go back to your table. I'm pretty sure your date is back from the restroom and I bet she doesn't want to eat alone if she's supposed to be on a date."

The brown-haired man continued to ignore her. "Rukia told me there was another man she was interested in when she broke up with me."

"Broke up?" Jyuushiro gasped, glancing at Rukia.

"Wait a second!" Rukia said, setting her menu down on the table, suddenly not wanting to change the subject. "We weren't ever dating, so I can't break up with you."

"But you accepted my flowers, you trained with me, and you went to dinner with me. And you even offered to include me in one of your threesomes."

"Threesome?" Jyuushiro asked, turning to look at her. "Since when do you do that?"

She shook her head. "I don't. I said that so he would stop asking me out. But clearly it didn't work."

Junichi snickered. "Well, that doesn't matter. If you ever want to have one, I'm willing to try because I want to be with you."

"Well, _that_ doesn't matter because she won't be with you."

Junichi's gaze shifted to glare at Jyuushiro. "I think that you are a bit mistaken and delusional --"

"Delusional? Really?" the Captain said, rising from his chair. "Are you really calling me delusional? Are you sure you want to do that?"

Rukia covered her face in her hands and sighed heavily, trying to calm herself. She couldn't believe that these two men were about to come to blows over her. She assumed that it would be nice and flattering if that were to happen, but now, she was on the verge of tears. As she rose her head to observe the situation, her breath caught in her throat when she saw them in each other's face, growling with primal ferocity. She resolved that she had enough of their fighting; it will cease. Now. "STOP IT!"

The restaurant immediately fell silent at the high pitched sound of Rukia's command. The surrounding customers stopped their meals and turned to look at the flush-faced woman, whose body was shaking more than ever. Junichi and Jyuushiro temporarily forgot about their fight and turned away from each other to look at her in worry. Finally the Captain asked, "what's wrong?"

She brushed a bit of hair from her face and lowered her voice. "I don't want you two to fight anymore. I don't think I'm worth it."

"Of course you are --" Junichi started.

"No," she cut him off. "I'm not. I'm going home and I don't want to talk to either one of you. I need to be alone right now. Good night to you both."

The restaurant was still quiet as she walked out, only the sound of her clicking heels resonated throughout the room. Once she was gone, Jyuushiro sat back down and sighed. "I can't believe that our date was ruined by you."

Junichi folded his arms over his chest. "I didn't ruin anything. Obviously she didn't want to be here to begin with."

"Look. You've already messed up everything, so I might as well leave too. But don't send Rukia any more flowers. I will have them thrown out."

The young man narrowed his eyes at the retreating man as his superior started to make his way toward the exit. "We'll see."

Jyuushiro paused and glanced over his shoulder. "We_ will _see, won't we?"

* * *

**AN:**Wow, a side of Ukitake that we haven't seen before. But it's nice to see that he's willing to fight for who is important to him. It shows that he cares, and that's always good to see. Well, I'll update soon because I already have a good idea for the next chapter. Review if you want to, and Chapter Eight is on its way!


	8. Futile

**AN: **Here is another installment of _Beneath You_, which was brought to you rather quickly in comparison to my usual updating patterns. That is mostly because I have renewed spirit in this story and I really want to get my ideas out. So without further ado, here is Chapter Eight!

* * *

**Beneath You**

**Chapter Eight: **Futile

Matsumoto bit into another cookie. Chewing thoughtfully, she said, "wow... that is absolutely crazy. I can't believe that Captain Ukitake would say that. He practically challenged Junichi!"

"He did," Rukia agreed, sitting next to Matsumoto at the kitchen table. She popped open the tub of chocolate ice cream and dug in with her spoon. "And I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't want the two of them to fight anymore, so now I have to find a way to tell Junichi that I don't want him so that he'll actually understand."

Matsumoto shook her head, her soft curls bouncing on her shoulders. "No, I don't think that's it. I'm perfectly convinced that Junichi understood what you told him. I don't see how you can be more clear."

"Then what's the problem with him? Why won't he just accept it and move on?"

"Because he knows who he lost to. He's probably not letting you go because he thinks that he's more valuable and desirable than Captain Ukitake. That's the only thing that would be make sense aside from the notion that he might be a stalker or something."

Rukia sighed as she shoveled another spoonful of the frozen treat into her mouth. "I just want all of this to be over. I want me and Jyuushiro to be happy together and --"

"Jyuushiro?" Matsumoto cooed. "Since when are you calling him that?"

"Since he asked me to... or at least when we're alone."

"Hmm... sounds sexy."

Rukia rolled her eyes. "You think that everything sounds sexy. But what am I supposed to do about my situation?"

"Heck if I know," she shrugged, standing and dropping her plate littered with crumbs into the sink. "I think that you should lay low for a day or two. Let the both of them get over their argument; maybe things will cool a bit so you can deal with it better."

"You're right," Rukia smiled up at her friend. "Just lay low... I can do that."

"Good. Now leave; Hisagi will be here soon."

"Should have known."

* * *

"Alright everyone, I guess we should all get started now. I don't know where Captain Ukitake is, but I'm sure he'll be here soon," Rukia said, tapping her pen on her clipboard. She took a final sweep of the courtyard for any sign of her superior, then sent her squad to work.

A while after the training session began, she paused in her jotting of notes and looked around again. She could feel eyes on her; staring and piercing into her concentration. She continued to scan until she saw him. Junichi was staring at her, his sword gripped tightly in his hand. He looked angry, like he wanted to slice someone in half with his blade. It unnerved her; she didn't like his expression.

"Lieutenant," another shinigami called to her, pulling her gaze away from Junichi. "How much longer are we going to train? We have to patrol the districts soon."

"Oh," she said, nodding absently. "Well... then we can stop now. I don't want to keep you too long."

"Thank you Lieutenant."

"Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Rukia slid the door open and stepped inside. Her Captain had his back to her; he was gazing out the window thoughtfully, with a warm cup of tea in his hand. "Why weren't you at the training session today?"

He didn't turn. "I didn't think I was needed. I figured you had everything under control."

Her mouth fell open. How could he say that? Was he mad at her too? "Why would you think that? Of course we need you; you're the Captain... this has nothing to do with last night, right?"

He said nothing, but did turn to look at her. "No."

She gave him a skeptical look. She wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or not. She figured not. "Look, I'm sorry about last night. I didn't think it was important to tell you about Junichi because I thought I was done with him. I wanted to be done with him."

"Okay."

She was beginning to become frustrated with him. He did not seem to believe her. "Listen, I don't know what else to say to you. I didn't plan for all this to happen."

He looked up at her. His eyes hardened. "What did you plan? That guy was coming on to you, and you still decided to go out with me. I don't know what you were thinking, but you can't have it both ways."

"I don't want it both ways. I want you."

He lowered his eyes and nodded slowly. After a moment, his eyes rose to her again. "Then get rid of him. For good this time."

* * *

Rukia sat in her room, swirling her juice around in her glass, looking out the window. She took a sip, and continued to watch the passing shinigami who walked through the courtyard. Sometimes she liked to sit on her sill, just watching the activity down below, not looking at anyone in particular. But today was different; she was searching for someone. She told him to wait for her in the courtyard until she could get there. He was late.

She hopped down from her perch and set her empty glass on the nightstand. She walked over to the door and slipped on her shoes, then approached the mirror next to the door. She currently wore a frown and felt no immediate reason to change it to a more pleasant expression. Lately she had been under a lot of pressure and stress; sometimes frowns are appropriate. At least that was her story.

Upon exiting her room, she went into the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of water that rested on the counter. She took a swig, then headed for the front door. "He better be out there. If I have to go and find him, I will not be very nice about it," she mumbled to herself. She turned the doorknob and pulled, and was quite surprised to see him standing there, his fist raised as he was about to knock on the hard wood. "Junichi... what are you doing here?"

"Someone told me that you were looking for me," he said, lowering his hand. "I figured that you would be here."

A quirk of her eyebrow was her only movement. "Well, I was looking for you. I think that maybe we should take a moment to talk. I think that some things need to be cleared up."

It was his turn to freeze. He didn't like the way she said that; he was convinced that he was being 'let go' again. But this time, he would be determined to make her change her mind. "Sure, let's talk."

"Come in," she said, stepping back and allowing him to enter. "Sit down."

He obeyed and scooted over to make room for her. Once she was seated, he decided that he should begin. "I just want to apologize for last night. I didn't mean to upset you. I just didn't like seeing you with... him."

Rukia fidgeted with her bottle. "Do you have anything against our Captain? What did he do to you that makes you hate him so much?"

"He stole you away from me."

"He didn't steal me from you. We mutually have feelings for each other. That's just the way it turned out."

"Why did you go out with me then?"

She lowered her head. She suddenly felt ashamed; both Jyuushiro and Junichi asked her this same question, but it seemed like she couldn't find a satisfactory answer. "I didn't think he felt the same way as I did for him. So I thought that..."

"So... you just used me until he decided to want you?"

Her head snapped up. "No! That's not it at all!"

Angry, he stood up indignantly. "Then he stole you from me!"

She sighed. He just wasn't understanding. She stood as well and peered into his face. "For the last time, he did not steal me from you. It's just that things got a little confusing and --"

But she never got to finish her statement. Junichi had seized her by the arms and pulled her to him, colliding into her lips with his own. Her gasp of shock allowed him to slip his tongue into her mouth, exploring her, tasting her. It took a moment or two for her to push him away, it was almost reluctant. "Rukia," he said through rushed breaths, "I love you. I don't want to be without you. Tell him that you're mine and that I'm willing to fight for you. Make sure he understands that. I will fight for you."

Her eyebrows were sky high at his words. She was in awe at his sudden boldness and spontaneity. Frankly, she was stunned. "Um. I don't know what to say. It sounds like you have your mind made up. But it still doesn't change the fact that we can't be together. Jyuushiro is the one I want."

She prepared herself for his breakdown, but he didn't falter in his tenacity. "You are just confused, I know how you are feeling. I can only imagine how crazy and different this can be for you. But I've never felt like this about anything in my life, and I'm sure that if I can convince you well enough of how much I love you, then you'll forget him and we can be together."

She opened her mouth to say something, but once again was denied speech. He released his hold on her and placed a kiss on her cheek, smiling into her face. He retreated toward the door whistling a happy tune. He waved goodbye then disappeared. Her mouth was still open, but then she realized that she wasn't denied speech... she was speechless.

* * *

**AN: **He just doesn't seem to grasp what she is telling him! How could this get any worse? It won't, will it? Of course it will. I've got this all planned out. I'm actually excited about it. Chapter Nine will be up soon. Review if you like, but they are nice to get once in a while.


	9. Colors

**AN: **The story keeps on rollin' and the drama continues! Enjoy the following chapter and review!

* * *

**Beneath You**

**Chapter Nine: **Colors

Rukia grumbled to herself as she walked down the hallway, heading toward the door that led to the training courtyard. She could hear the clashing of swords and the battlecries of the shinigami launching attacks at each other. It had been two days since she last spoke to Junichi and Jyuushiro, and still she was drowning in indecision. How could she get Junichi to understand? It seemed that no matter what she told him, he found some way to turn it around into a positive. Should she even try? Well, it would seem that she had no alternative. She had no choice but to keep trying. Eventually Junichi would take the hint. She hoped.

But currently, she had to report to her Captain. He requested her to see him about something important. He claimed it regarded the new layout for the Thirteenth Squad grounds, but she knew better. It wasn't, but nonetheless, she had to go anyway. She rounded the corner and away from the courtyard doors, the sounds of fighting disappearing with every step she took. A minute or two of more walking brought her to the door of her Captain's office. She tapped lightly on the door. "Can I come in?"

"Yes," he answered, and he looked up when she slid the door open. He motioned for her to sit and she obeyed. "So, how did the training go yesterday?"

"It went fine."

He nodded as he began to observe and sign some papers that littered his desk. "That's good." He paused. "So, did you talk to him?"

Rukia lifted her eyes to the ceiling and smiled to herself. How did she know it would come to this very subject? Lowering her eyes to him, she shrugged. "Yeah, I did talk to him."

"And..."

"It didn't do any good."

His pen stopped moving and he looked up at her. "It didn't?"

"No. It didn't."

"What did he say?"

She needed a second to think so she stalled. "What?"

"What did he say?"

During her second or two, she had to engage in quick thinking. Should she tell him what happened in its entirety, or just what Junichi _said?_At first, her answer was no. But then again, she was pretty sure that Junichi would tell Jyuushiro anyway when they eventually draw their swords, if it came to that. Why not cut out the middle man? "He said that he's willing to fight you for me."

"Was that all?"

"... and he also said that he loved me."

His eyebrow quirked at that one. "Anything else? I have a feeling that you're leaving something out. We can't work through this unless you tell me everything that happened."

She knew it would be hard to say, but beyond her better judgment, she decided to just say it. "And he kissed me."

"WHAT?" Jyuushiro shouted, slamming his pen on the desk. "Tell me you aren't serious?"

"I'm very serious."

He angrily stood up from his desk and started rummaging through the numerous boxes of papers that lined the wall on the floor. He flipped open a white box and pulled out a blue paper. He threw it over his shoulder and into his chair. He searched a little more and found three more pieces of paper: green, yellow, and red. Once he was finished, he closed the boxes and straightened the papers on his desk. "Okay, I've got some work to do. You should probably go and check on everyone in the courtyard. They should still be training."

She stood up and gathered her clipboard and pen. "What are you about to do? Does it have to do with what I just told you?"

"Don't worry about it. Now go."

* * *

"Lieutenant, is Captain Ukitake going to come and watch us today?"

"I don't know. He might."

"I hope so. I want to show him that I finally mastered that attack he taught me. I know he'll be proud of me."

Rukia nodded. "I know he will be too. If I see him come out, I will point him in your direction."

"Thanks!"

She smiled at him as he ran off to continue his training, but as soon as he was gone, her cordial expression dropped. She was in no mood to smile, and she had a bad feeling about Jyuushiro's reaction to what she told him. It looked like he was about to do something that she could potentially disagree with, and because he told her not to worry about it, she worried more. _'What could he be up to?'_ she asked herself. _'He was all in a hurry to find those papers. Maybe if I could find out what they were for...'_

"Lieutenant," another shinigami called to her. "Where is Captain Ukitake?"

Her friendly expression returned as she answered the question. "He's in his office. But listen, I need to go and see another Captain for a bit. So if I'm not back by sundown, then you all can leave."

The confused shinigami opened his mouth to say something to the scurrying woman but decided against it. She seemed to be in a hurry. "Okay."

* * *

"Blue, green, yellow, and red you say... well, he seems to be on a mission, huh?"

"Yes, Captain Kyouraku, but what are those forms for? Why are they different colors?"

Shunsui tilted his head back to drain the last of the liquid from his cup. He swallowed, and then looked back at her. "Those forms are used for..."

"Captain, we have a problem in the dining hall!" Lieutenant Nanao shouted, throwing the door open and storming in.

Unnerved, Kyouraku cut his eyes to her. "What's going on?"

Tapping her pen impatiently on her clipboard, she said, "There's a fire in the dining hall. The entire kitchen was scorched, and currently every available shinigami in our squad is trying to put out the fire that spread into the hallway. Even a few men from the Sixth Squad came to help."

Keeping silent, he reached over to the almost empty jug of sake and poured the rest into his waiting cup. "I guess I should go then. If another squad had to come over and help, then maybe it's really something I need to check out."

"I would say so, sir. Hurry and finish your drink; it's time for you to start acting like a Captain."

He chuckled into his cup as he tipped it to his mouth. He polished his sake off and stood. "You really shouldn't say it like that. You make it sound like I'm not responsible."

He turned to the door, and Rukia realized he never answered her question. "Wait Captain, before you go! What are those forms for?"

Exiting his office with Nanao in tow, he called over his shoulder, "that kid will be no more."

* * *

Step, step, step, turn. Step, step, step, turn. She paced the entire perimeter of her room all night and she still couldn't figure would what Captain Kyouraku's words meant. It made no sense to her, and she mentally cursed him for being so vague.

_'That kid will be no more.'_

That could mean a lot of things. Could Junichi be discharged from the Thirteenth Squad? From the Protection Squad altogether? Will he be relegated to a paperwork position that would bury him in a basement somewhere all day? What did he mean? And furthermore... how did he know about Junichi?

It bothered her that the meaning of those forms were being hidden from her, like it was some kind of secret. Sure, she wasn't a Captain, but that doesn't mean that she should be in the dark all the time. She thought about asking another Captain, but a lot of them scared her. Especially Captains Soi, Kuchiki, and Zaraki. From all the horror stories she heard about them, asking such a seemingly prying question would probably send them over the edge. She considered herself lucky to end up with such a nice and caring Captain. Even if he _did_ keep things from her.

A knock on the door startled her from her thoughts, and she moved to open the door. "Hey Jyuushiro, what are you doing here?"

He stared down at her with a gleeful smile. "I just wanted to tell you that everything has been resolved."

"What are you talking about? What has been resolved?"

"That guy," he replied, rubbing his slender hands together. "I found a way to take care of him so we can be together. He's out of the picture now."

She gave him a skeptical look. "What did you do?"

"I took care of it."

"What did you do?"

He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and bent down to kiss her lightly on the cheek. "I took care of him. It'll take effect tomorrow. See you then, okay?"

Once again, she could not speak as she watched him head outside. He shut the door behind him and she let out a long breath to break the sudden silence. _'I have a bad feeling about this,'_ she thought to herself. _'I know that this is not going to turn out okay.'_

She trudged into her room and plopped down on her bed. She kicked off her shoes, grabbed her pillow, and snuggled into it. Forcing her eyes closed, she tried to sleep, but knew she'd be waking up to something terrible.

* * *

**AN:** Alright, this is the end of Chapter Nine and there is more to come! I'm sorry this chapter isn't... so great, but I really wanted to get this one out. Review if you like and Chapter Ten is coming real soon!


	10. Leave

**AN:**What did Ukitake do? Well, you are about to find out! Review if you like and enjoy!

* * *

**Beneath You**

**Chapter Ten: **Leave

Rukia stood outside of her Captain's office door, contemplating whether or not she should go in. She knew that he was on the other side, but based on what he did yesterday with those forms, she might not want to see him. Worry and uneasy anticipation rushed through her as she reached for the doorknob. A quick pull slid the door open, and Jyuushiro's deep brown eyes lifted to look at her. "Good morning."

"Morning," she replied, closing the door behind her. She ventured to the middle of the room, but did not sit in the chair across from his desk. "Are you going to tell me what happened yesterday?"

"In a minute," he said, writing a few lines on the document he was examining. "Can you please get me some hot tea? I've been up since dawn and I'm already drained. Look, it's not even noon yet."

She nodded at him and almost stormed from his office. She was growing tired from the lack of communication between them, and she wanted answers. His secretive ways weren't getting them anywhere, especially since their problem involved a third person. As she power-walked down the hallways toward the dining hall, she began to formulate questions she would ask when she returned. She would not be put off anymore.

Entering the dining hall and side-stepping chairs that were failed to be pushed in under the table, she navigated her way to the drink station. "Good morning, Lieutenant," the attendant greeting. "What can I get for you?"

"I need some hot tea for the Captain. He wants green tea with two orange and lemon slices. Also, add four packets of sugar and two on the side."

The attendant nodded and turned away from the front counter to fill the order. Rukia looked over her shoulder and scanned around the near-full hall, and somehow found herself searching for someone in particular. Once she starting thinking about it, she hadn't seen him in a few days. Where could he be? Was he hiding from her? She didn't know; nothing seemed to make sense to her anymore anyway. "Lieutenant, do you have a minute?"

Rukia's gaze settled on one of the lower-ranked shinigami in her squad. "What is it?"

"I was wondering if you can tell me why Junichi got transferred."

"Huh?"

"Why did Junichi get transferred?"

Her eyes grew wide at his question. She was shocked and bewildered, unsure of how to answer. Thinking quickly, she replied, "I don't think that Captain Ukitake would want me to release that information so soon. When did you hear this happened?"

He glanced down for a moment to think. "I think the transfer went through last night."

She nodded at him, everything coming together. Those colored forms were transfer requests. And what Captain Kyouraku said... it all made sense. "Thanks for letting me know the word got out," she told him, patting him on the shoulder. "I'll ask the Captain and find out what information he's willing to release."

"Oh, no problem Lieutenant," the shinigami said. "I'm always glad to help the higher-ups."

She smiled at him, grabbed the hot tea and sugar from the counter behind her, and hurried from the dining hall. She needed to get back to Jyuushiro as soon as she could. It was time to tell him what she now knew, and to get some information on what she did not. After a moment or two of frantic walking and praying for not spilling the tea, she finally reached his office. She opened the door with her less-full hand and set the hot beverage down on the occupied desk. "Here's your tea."

"Thank you Rukia," he mumbled, taking a sip without looking up from his work.

She decided to sit down this time and stare at him as he worked. Her eyes never deviated from him, yet her inactivity didn't seem to bother him. She could tell he was aware that she was looking at him, and eventually he raised his head. "Oh, don't mind me," she said, shrugging carelessly. "I'm just sitting here... wondering why you transferred Junichi."

"What?"

"Why did you transfer Junichi?"

He set his pen down and sat up from his hunched posture. "Who told you that?"

"It doesn't matter who told me. Why did you do it?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "If he's not here, then he can't interfere with us. I don't want him anywhere near you, trying to take you away from me."

Rukia chuckled under her breath, disbelief seeping through the grunts. "What is going on with you? Something has to be wrong; you aren't the Jyuushiro that I know."

"How have I changed?"

"Well... lately, it seems like you've started being... different. You stopped going to the squad training sessions, you are being secretive, I bet you haven't talked to Captain Kyouraku in a while; what's going on?"

"Nothing. Do you need anything else?"

Standing up abruptly, she balled her hands into fists and spat, "I don't need anything from you. Nothing at all!" She then spun over her shoulder and stormed out.

* * *

"Are you mad at him?"

"Not really. I actually kind of saw this coming. I wasn't surprised when I was told I was being moved."

"That's terrible," Rukia said, pushing a shirt aside and sitting on his bed. "I would be furious."

Junichi smiled at her as he tossed a folded garment into a bag. "You're furious _for_ me?"

She smiled back. "Something like that."

He reached across the bed and clamped the full bag shut then dropped it to the floor. "I like how that sounds."

"What squad are you in now?"

"The Second Squad. I hope that Captain Soi isn't as scary as people tell me she is."

"She is," Rukia nodded, crossing her legs but not noticing his longing eyes. "Just ask her lieutenant. She beats him up all the time."

Junichi made a face and took a seat next to Rukia on the soft bed. "Well, I think I'll be alright. I'll just do whatever I can to stay on her good side."

"Good plan. Especially if you want your face to stay recognizable."

He laughed, "okay, I'm pretty sure she's not _that_ bad!"

She began to giggle a little herself. "We'll see."

The joyous laughter ran its course and left them in silence, with him looking at her and her avoiding the eye contact. "I'll miss you Rukia."

Still averting her face from his, she nodded. "I know. I'll miss you too."

"I bet Captain Ukitake won't."

"Well, he's been a little... off lately."

"Did he make you mad by moving me?" His inquiry sparked something within her, and her tiny jump did not go unnoticed. He leaned over, trying to get a look of her face. All he saw were purposely closed eyes and blank features. "He did, didn't he?"

"Maybe a little."

"Why? I figured you wanted me gone too, since you and him are dying to be together, right?"

"Well... I don't know about all that. But I didn't tell him that I wanted you transferred. He did that on his own."

Junichi stood up and knelt before Rukia, taking her face into his palms and looking into her brown orbs. "I knew you didn't want me to leave. But why are you pretending that you and the Captain are on the same side? If he's doing things without telling you, where's the trust in that? How does that spell out that you two are on the same page?"

"We are, it's just that he..."

"He doesn't feel for you as strongly as I do," he said, sliding his thumbs across the smooth skin of her cheeks. Then he outlined the contours of her lips, slowly teasing them apart. "The same goes for you. If you feel so much for him, then why do you keep coming to see me?"

Rukia couldn't find an answer as she only stared at him. His vivid green eyes held her paralyzed, his probing fingers tingling across her lips, his deep voice resonating through her body. She realized he was right; why _did_ she keep coming to see him? Deep down she knew why, and it wasn't for his cordial conversation. But should she tell him the real reason? He seemed to know already, and he knew she did too. "I shouldn't be feeling this way about you, and I don't know what to do about it."

He kept his gaze locked on hers as he drew closer. He lowered his voice as his lips hovered over hers. "Don't fight it," he whispered. "Just go with it." He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her gently, knowing full well that she wouldn't push him away. It was clear that she wanted him almost as much as he wanted her, and her actions told him that she wanted to be his. He couldn't deny; the actuality of the situation felt damned good, and he was determined to take things further.

He ran his tongue questioningly across her bottom lip, asking for entrance, and to his surprise, she complied. Her tongue met his halfway, and the two wrestled and massaged each other, deepening the embrace. Rukia knew that what she was doing was wrong, but she couldn't disprove her obvious attraction to Junichi. He awakened something within her, something Jyuushiro wasn't doing. It seemed like her Captain was doing all he could to separate her and Junichi instead of wooing her himself. He had her in the palm of his hand, she would have done anything for him, but he let Junichi get in the way. And now, the pair seemed to be getting closer every time they met, the proof displaying itself as they now held each other.

Hesitantly pulling away from her to breathe, he used a finger to trace along her puffy lips and smiled at her. "I really don't want to leave," he whispered to her, continuing to let his finger play on her facial features. "But don't think this is the last time you'll see me. I'll find a way to get back here."

She nodded and placed her hand on top of his, guiding it to hold her cheek. "Just don't get yourself in trouble with Captain Soi. She's a beast."

'I'll endure her wrath for you, Rukia. Whatever it takes to see you again."

She closed her eyes and mentally laughed to herself. He sounded so... in love. But did she feel the same way for him? Her feelings swirled around inside of her, and an answer didn't result. But with Junichi gone for a while, or at least until he found a way to see her, she would have the time she needed to sort things out. Amid her thinking, he rose from the bed and picked up his bags from the floor. He gave her a smile and one last light kiss, and then he was gone. She ran to the window to watch him leave, and a slow sinking feeling came to her; like a piece of her soul just shrunk away to a tiny speck of nothing. She knew what it meant... she had an important decision to make, and it would be upon her very soon.

* * *

**AN:** Goodness. The story thickens, does it not? Oh, and for anyone who thinks they know what will happen... you don't. I have an idea that I hope will shock everyone, and it will be amazing if I can pull it off. Here's hoping. Chapter Eleven is on the way. Review if you like.


	11. Outrage

**AN:**I return with more of this story. Rukia has some things to deal with, and maybe she can come to a conclusion now. Possibly. Read and review if you like. Enjoy!

* * *

**Beneath You**

**Chapter Eleven: **Outrage

"Yeah, she's not the nicest Captain you can have, but if you work hard and get stronger, then she'll respect you," Lieutenant Oomaeda said, then taking a long swig from his cup. He burped and continued. "Here is where you'll stay. Just pick an empty room and put your stuff in it. When the Captain returns, she wants to introduce herself to you."

"Okay," Junichi nodded, walking into a vacant room. It was all the way down at the end of the sweet smelling hall, and he set his bags on the dressed bed. He looked around his new abode, and noticed that it was nearly spotless. Apparently the Captain ran a tight ship and did not tolerate messes, even in the unused rooms. "I'll be ready for whenever she gets here."

"Good," Oomaeda replied. "Make that a habit. Never keep her waiting. You have to remember that she has another group of men to command too. She barely has enough time to sleep as it is. I should know; she sends me out for hot tea at all hours of the day and night. I don't know how she does it."

"Maybe she's a superwoman."

"It wouldn't surprise me. I'll be back in a bit."

The Vice Captain left the room and once again, Junichi was alone. He sat on the bed next to his bags and looked about him. The room was a reasonable size, not too small but not too vast either. The walls were painted blue and the light curtains that covered the window were the same hue. The bed he rested on were dressed with dark blue bedsheets and white pillows, which were very soft to the touch. "A woman definitely designed these rooms," he sighed to himself, rubbing his hands together. "I wonder what Rukia is doing right now. I want to see her. I hope she wants to see me too."

* * *

Matsumoto seized her by the arms. She bent down to her face. "Are you insane? Please tell me you aren't serious!"

"I am very serious. He got transferred to the Second Squad."

"I don't give two shits about him being moved. I'm worried about you kissing him and missing him!"

Rukia shrugged her hands away. "Well... it happened. "Before I knew it, we were kissing and I didn't want to push him away."

Matsumoto ran her hands over her face in frustration as she lowered herself to the couch. "Don't you see what you are doing? Are you aware of what you are doing?"

"What?"

"You are choosing some guy over Captain Ukitake! That does not happen! There are many girls that would love to have him interested in them, yet when he chooses you, you let some other guy charm you? Really?"

Rukia rose a suspicious eyebrow at her friend. "Why are you so mad about this? You make it sound like... oh..."

Matsumoto snapped her head to Rukia. "What?"

"You make it sound like you wanted him for yourself."

The redhead began to laugh, placing her palm on her forehead and let out her giggles. Her face turned pink from her laughter, and once she died down, she said, "that is surely not it. If I wanted him, then I would be encouraging you to break up. Please don't give him _that_ much credit."

"Oh... that makes sense."

"Anyway," Matsumoto said, standing up again and wiping a tear from her cheek, "you need to take Junichi's transfer as a sign. Captain Ukitake moved him because he was getting in the way of you two. I know you are confused and unsure, but trust me, all this will pay off once you and Ukitake are together."

Rukia knitted her eyebrows in thought and took her turn to sit on the couch. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am. There's no way around it; you and Ukitake belong together and Junichi was only an obstacle in your way. Now that you've overcome him, you can be with the man you were _meant _to love."

Rukia gazed upon her friend with a small smile. Maybe Matsumoto was right. Maybe Junichi was just a hurdle to jump over to prove her love for Jyuushiro is strong. Maybe that's all there was to that kiss. It meant nothing now; just another boulder to get around to reach her real prize. "Thanks Matsumoto! I feel so much better now!" she said, hopping up from her seat.

"Good. Now leave. Hisagi just called and said he's almost here."

"Bitch."

* * *

The two men stood outside the door, preparing themselves for entry. The taller of the two, Lieutenant Oomaeda, hurried to finish his sandwich and drink. He knew how much his Captain hated when he ate in her office. Once he was done choking down his third snack of the day, he looked over at the newest addition to his squad. He nodded at him, wordlessly telling him that he was about to meet the woman that would be in charge of him. Junichi nodded back.

"Captain... may we come in?"

"Mmmhmm."

Oomaeda slowly slid the door open. He also was aware that if anyone moved too quickly around her, there was a chance that she would act. It grew more painful every time she did. His bruises told many tales. "Captain, I have the new guy."

She didn't look up from her work as the pair came in. She was reading papers, then signing them at the bottom. When she finished the one she had in her hand, she looked up. She rose from her chair and extended her hand. "I'm Captain Soi, head of the Second Division and Special Forces."

Junichi exhaled a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves as he took her hand. "My name is Junichi. I came from the Thirteenth Squad."

She shook his hand firmly, and he could feel her calloused fingertips against his palm. She withdrew her hand. "For the next week, you will replace my lieutenant as my errand boy. That way you will learn where everything is. The layout of my squad grounds are a bit different from the Thirteenth, and it will take you about a week to remember everything."

"Yes, Captain," Junichi said, keeping his body completely still. He realized that Oomaeda and Rukia were right; she was intimidating. However, she didn't address him with a cross tone or give him a mean look. Just her presence alone was enough to tell him that she could hurt him badly if she willed to. He made a mental note to obey every order she will give him with remarkable accuracy. Just to be safe.

"Alright then. You may leave."

"Thank you Captain," Junichi bowed, then almost ran over Oomaeda to exit the room. Once in the hallway, he leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. He could breathe regularly now.

Oomaeda watched him in amusement. "I didn't think she'd scare you _that_ much."

He opened his lids to eye his superior. "Well, she does. I get a heavy vibe from her. Like I _should_ be afraid of her. Afraid for my life."

"Calm down. You'll be fine. I feel that way every time I'm near her. And she won't hit you like she does me."

"That doesn't help."

"Wasn't meant to," Oomaeda said, motioning for him to follow him down the hall. "Do as you're told and don't make her mad. If you stick to that, you'll live."

* * *

_Knock knock._ "Can I come in?"

Rukia smiled to herself. She knew exactly who it was. "Yes."

Jyuushiro entered her office with a smile to match hers. "It looks like you are in good spirits."

"You too."

"I am," he said, seating himself in a chair that faced her desk. "Actually, I'm feeling much better. So much better that I thought that maybe we could go out tonight. What do you think?"

She cocked her head to the side and gave him a mock-glare. "I don't think I should. Besides, you are such a tease."

He stood from his chair and leaned over the desk, drawing his face closer to hers. In a low voice, he said, "I haven't even started to tease you yet."

A heavy blush later, Rukia countered, "then maybe you should start."

He leaned in further and placed a light kiss on her lips. "Maybe I should."

"You know that it won't lead to anything good."

He kissed her again, applying more pressure to her pink lips with his. "Oh, I assure you; anything this leads to will be amazing."

She blushed again and sat back in her chair, separating their faces. "I think we should stop and continue this on our date. Then we'll see what happens."

"Okay then."

* * *

Matsumoto groaned in frustration and sat up in the bed, drawing the covers to her bare chest. Her bright hair whirled about her face as she turned to look at the sleeping man next to her. It didn't bother her that he was in deep slumber after their strenuous activity, and rightfully so, but she shook him awake anyway. "Hisagi, wake up."

"Huhn..."

"Wake up. Now!"

His red eyes popped open and looked over his shoulder at her. "What is it? Please tell me this is important, because if it's not, we are going to have a little talk."

"It's about Rukia," she said, grabbing his shoulder and pulling it to make him face her. "Aren't you worried?"

"About...?"

For the very life of her, she could not understand why her boyfriend wasn't curious about the welfare of her best friend. "Didn't you hear about that guy? The guy that got transferred from the Thirteenth Squad to the Second? Are you aware of any of this?"

His mouth formed an 'O' as he recalled her references. "Yeah. I heard about that dude from some people in my squad. Everyone knows he got moved, but no one knows why."

"I'll tell you why!" she exclaimed, shaking her head, her hair flinging wildly. "Junichi, that's his name, almost ruined Rukia's life! He tried to take her away from a promising and loving relationship with Captain Ukitake! That boy got moved because he wants to keep the perfect couple apart!"

Hisagi's face resonated confusion, and he sat up as well to further the conversation. "Why are you so concerned about this? Isn't this about Rukia, not you?"

"No, it concerns me too. My friend's happiness is my concern. That kid needs to stay away from her, or else he'll distract her enough to steal her away from Captain --"

"Rangiku!" Hisagi said, grabbing her hand and giving it a light squeeze. "I think that maybe you need some more sleep because you aren't making much sense right now. I still don't see why you are so involved in all this. If they are meant to be together, then they will be."

"Hmphf, so says you," she mumbled, yanking her hand from his. "Fine, don't care then. But I'll be watching Junichi. He better not come back to the Thirteenth Squad. I'll do all it takes to make him keep his distance. I'll take care of that so Captain Ukitake can focus on Rukia. It'll all work out; you just watch."

"Whatever. Now go to sleep."

"Just watch."

* * *

**AN:**Sorry it's a little choppy, but I wanted this chapter to be productive in different areas. So...Matsumoto's getting involved now! Where will this lead? Find out in Chapter Twelve! Review if you like.


	12. Sneak

**AN: **Alright. That's about it. Enjoy and review if you like.

* * *

**Beneath You**

**Chapter Twelve:** Sneak

Junichi crept from his Captain's office with a slip of paper in his hand. On the paper was detailed instructions for his next task. He was to go find the room containing the squad's robes, take a few stacks to the laundry room the next building over, and wash them. After that, he was to find her weapons room and retrieve a sharper short sword. All that... in half an hour.

As soon as the door was closed, Junichi bolted down the hall and outside, running toward the furthest building with full speed. He would not disappoint her. He would not fail her. Oh Gods, he would not fail her. Considering that he was terrified of her, he would rather lose an arm than face her wrath. Any day of the week.

"Hey man, where are you going?" Oomaeda called to him as he passed. He didn't get an answer, so to every witnesses' surprise, he started to run too. Once he caught up to Junichi, he repeated his question.

"I have to go find the room with the robes," he answered between breaths. He gripped the paper tightly in his closed fist as he maneuvered around a cluster of trees. The moving duo met up again and he continued, "I'm pretty sure it's this way."

"Yeah, it is," Oomaeda confirmed, panting heavily. "Lucky for me, we're almost there. Then we can stop running."

Junichi disregarded the last comment and asked, "what is the Lady Captain's policy on me leaving squad grounds?"

"Lady Captain? When did we start calling her that?"

Slowing to a walk, he replied, "I think it shows more respect. And it sounds better."

"Did you call her that to her face?"

"Yeah. She was okay with it."

"Wow."

Continuing to walk toward the tan building and finally climbing its steps, Junichi asked again, "when can we leave squad grounds? What is the time period?"

Oomaeda tilted his eyes to the sky as he searched his nearly vacant mental banks for the answer. "I think curfew is midnight unless something special is going on. That's pretty much the standard time for all the squads. And trust me, she's pretty strict about it so don't break curfew."

"What happens if you do?"

"A beatdown. And she does them publicly, in front of the whole squad. She doesn't care. Just don't break curfew."

Grabbing the handle and sliding the door open, Junichi gazed upon the stacks upon stacks of folded black robes. Feeling discouraged, he unwillingly grabbed an armful and hoisted his load from the floor. "Can you give me a hand?"

Oomaeda nodded and lifted a stack for himself and followed him out of the room. "Next door we go!"

"How did you know where I was going?"

"Remember, she said that you will be taking over _my_ duties for a week. Of course I know what you are doing."

"Oh. Well anyway, I'm going to go see somebody after I'm done with my chores for the day. It's been four days since I was transferred, and it's getting harder and harder to not see my friends back in the Thirteenth."

"Go for it."

Junichi smiled to himself. "You better believe I will."

"So who are you going to see?"

A pause. "Just someone I grew close to, that's all. A close friend."

Oomaeda laughed heartily as he interpreted the vague answer. "A lady, huh? I see what you mean; I'll cover for you. Go ahead."

"Right now?"

"Yeah. Go."

"Thanks," Junichi beamed, plopping the stack of robes in the lieutenant's already full hands. "I owe you."

"I know."

* * *

Rukia twirled around her room, a rose hugged against her chest as she danced. Her loose hair flung about her, the black locks fluttering everywhere while she pranced around, her unusually good mood echoing off the walls. She hummed low in her chest, the tune sounding familiar to her, inducing nostalgia to return her to younger days. "I never thought I'd ever feel this way..." she sang, continuing to swirl in her flowing dress. The fabric fanned around her while she spun, the printed flowers seeming to frolic with her. "You took my breath away, and I'm sure it will never return..."

A knock on the door didn't break her song, and she sung the next line as she turned the knob. "My head spins when we go to the moon... we won't be floating down anytime soon..."

"Hey Rukia," Junichi said, holding out a bouquet of roses and bowing low. "For you, my lady."

The song died in her throat when she saw him, and didn't reach out to accept the gift. "Why are you here?"

He stood up straight and handed her the flowers. "I wanted to see you. It's been a few days since I left, and I thought that you'd want to see me just as much. It was hard, but I'm here."

"Oh," she replied unenthusiastically, taking the roses from him. "But I thought that you would still be trying to settle in with your new squad. To be honest, you came at a bad time."

"Why --"

Footsteps entered the room behind her and a familiar voice sounded, "are you ready to go?"

She turned around and gave him a feeble smile. "Yeah, just give me a second."

Jyuushiro looked over her head at her guest. "Why are you here?"

"I came to see Rukia. Why are you here?"

"We are going on another date. And I think it's time for you to leave."

Junichi shook his head defiantly. "I'm not going anywhere."

Rukia turned once more, this time to Junichi. "Well, we _are_ about to go on a date. We have reservations, actually."

He focused his green eyes on hers. "So you two are really dating, huh? What about the day I left? That kiss didn't mean anything to you? Didn't our conversation mean anything?"

"What is he talking about?" Jyuushiro asked, never moving his eyes from the other male. "What kiss?"

Rukia whirled around again, placing her small hands on his chest. "Don't worry about it. I was a little emotional from the news, and we kissed. It meant nothing."

"Nothing?" Junichi cut in. "Really... it meant nothing. Somehow I don't believe you. Now, why is that?"

"I don't know!" Rukia snapped, throwing a warning look over her shoulder. "It doesn't matter if you believe me or not. I'm with Jyuushiro now, and that stupid kiss didn't mean anything to me. It shouldn't have happened anyway; there will never be anything between us."

He smiled at her, folding his arms over his chest. "I can't believe you are saying this. Especially since I'll hear the _real_ story the second he's gone."

"Get out!" Jyuushiro said, jutting an aggressive thumb toward the door. "You aren't in this squad anymore, so I don't want to see you on these grounds anymore. Besides, I'm pretty confident that Captain Soi does not know you are here. So I'd advise you to go right now. I don't want any trouble from you."

"You don't? Well, I'm not sure you get to make that decision," Junichi said, balling his hands into fists. "But you know what? I'll leave. But I assure you; it's only because I have things to do for my Captain. And Rukia, don't think I'll give up this easily. You can pretend all you want, but we both know that kiss meant something. When you're ready to talk, you know where to find me."

Rukia didn't reply as he retreated toward the door. Once he was gone, she turned to Jyuushiro with a falsified smile. "Now that he's gone, we can go. We should hurry; the restaurant can't hold our reservations if we're late."

He smiled back at her, his expression fabricated as well. "Alright then. Let's go."

* * *

Junichi shook his head while he thought about what just happened. He couldn't figure out why she had made such a turnaround in her feelings toward him. It had only been a few days and yet, she had forgotten about him and the moment they shared. He was baffled, but not discouraged.

He continued to walk, but his peripherals told him to stop. He paused in his stride and took a quick look around him. All he saw were buildings and tall trees between them; all sights that were familiar to him during his tenure in the Thirteenth Squad. But while nothing seemed to be out of place, he felt he was being watched. He scanned everything around him once more, didn't see anything, and then resumed his walking. _'I'm just being paranoid,'_ he thought to himself, and rounded the corner to exit the squad's grounds.

The two pairs of eyes that were watching him glanced at each other, and one of the spies spoke. "Why was he here?"

"I don't know. But does it matter? And I feel like an idiot hiding in a tree to watch some guy."

"He's not just some guy. He's a guy that shouldn't be here."

"But he is. So what?"

"Then we need to make sure that he doesn't come back. And I think I've got a plan."

A groan. "This isn't going to be good. I can feel it."

"Shut up and listen. Here's what we're going to do..."

* * *

"Get in here!" Captain Soi shouted. Her lieutenant ran into the training room, where his superior was stretching in preparation for her daily training session. "Where is he?"

Oomaeda began to tremble as he watched her remove her white robe to reveal her fighting outfit below it. She started to rotate her bare shoulders and he shook even more. He could feel the pain already. "Where is who?" he squeaked.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "The new guy. Where is he?"

"Oh, Junichi..." he gulped. "He's... somewhere. Probably finishing off the list of chores you gave him."

"He should be finished by now. I wanted to spar with him today. I need to see where his skill level is."

Oomaeda nodded as she talked, and replied, "well, he should be back soon. I ran into him a little earlier and he told me he was lost. So I helped him a little bit, and he's finishing up. But if I see him, I'll tell him to come see you. Is that okay?'

She continued to look over him, not sure of what to make of his story. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, she gave him a quick nod. "All right. But he better be back soon. I don't want to have to look for him."

"Yes... Lady Captain," he agreed, cautiously trying out the new title. He expected a cross reaction, but nothing happened. She merely turned away from him and kept stretching. He heaved a heavy sigh and left the training room quietly. Once he was outside, he said a silent prayer, thanking the divine Gods that she did not discover his lie. His gratitude left him in a humbled mood; but he realized that he could never lie for Junichi again. It would be bad for his health.

* * *

**AN: **Alright. Now that I have reached this point, things will be _very_ interesting. Something important will go down next chapter, and it will only get better from here. I hope. I've got this thing all planned out. Updates should be faster, though I think I'm getting these chapters out pretty quick. Let me know what you think. Review if you want to. Onward and upward!


	13. Alone

**AN:** I know that some people are feeling this is a RukiaJunichi story, but I assure you, it's not. Every couple has their ups and downs, right? Your patience will be rewarded. I promise. Review if you want.

* * *

**Beneath You**

**Chapter Thirteen:** Alone

She now has a collection. Stuffed bears, flowers, bunny rabbits, chocolate, hamsters, and a big moose cluttered her room. All of these gifts arrived within a week, some by mail, most by hand. His hand. He came and saw her every other day, each time bearing a present. At first, she tried to send him away, but it didn't work. She wanted to tell Jyuushiro about it, but her visitor had figured out the Captain's schedule, so he came by when his enemy was gone. He had done his homework.

Back in the Second Squad, Oomaeda continued to cover for him, and it eventually came down to doing the chores for his absent friend. Lucky for him, his Captain was buried under stacks of paperwork so she was too busy to pay enough attention. Every day more and more documents crossed her desk, and often-times, she would not leave her office until sundown. That gave Junichi the free time he needed to continue to see Rukia, hoping to sway her. He was convinced it was working. _'Soon, she will be mine.'_

Matsumoto and Hisagi never stopped tailing Junichi during their free afternoons, though one half of the pair did not agree to the activity. They hid in trees, dove into bushes, and peered around buildings to see what he was doing, and each day, Matsumoto kept a log to record their observations. "It'll be soon that we can start the plan," she whispered, scribbing over the pages. "Just a little longer."

"Whatever," Hisagi would mumble. "This is cutting into our sex."

"Shut up. He's coming!"

"I wish I could too."

Punch.

* * *

Captain Soi sprawled out on the ground, stretching her frame as she loosened her muscles for her training. She plucked the grass from her hair as she stretched, enjoying the feel of her muscles pulling and resting, a feeling she was well-acquainted with. Finally she sat up, and looked around the vacant courtyard. It had been this way since she returned from her Captain's meeting, yet it shouldn't have been. She distinctly remembered telling her Lieutenant to herd the squad outside for their training session, but no one was in sight. She gathered from her current lack of interaction that Oomaeda was not there doing his job. Her frown deepened when she realized that her lieutenant had not been obeying her orders lately, and disobedience was not something she was known for tolerating. Someone is in big trouble when he gets back!

"Oh... Captain... you're here," Oomaeda quivering voice squeaked as he cautiously neared her from the ambiguous direction from which he came. "I didn't know you'd be here."

"Actually, I think you did," she replied, standing and brushing her clothes off. She then approached him and stared into his face, her steely eyes telling him everything he didn't want to know. He mentally braced himself for the impending pain. "The way you are acting tells me that you forgot what I told you to do. So... what were you doing instead of obeying my orders?"

His eyes wandered as he searched for a lie, but a snap in his face brought his eyes back to hers. "I... was helping Junichi."

"Where is he?"

"He... was right behind me, but he said that he had to... take a shower."

"Did he finish all of his chores?"

"Yeah. The chores are done."

She narrowed her eyes. "Did _he_ do them?"

"... of course --"

A punch in the gut made him double over in pain. He gasped for air as he struggled to stand, but a kick to the forehead effectively sent him across the courtyard and to the ground. "Don't lie to me!" she yelled, quickly walking over to where he lay. "I know that he hasn't been doing his chores, and I also know you've been covering for him. Now tell me, where is he going everyday?"

He was on his back, sputtering for air when she put her foot on his throat. He coughed and gagged, but managed to get out, "I'll tell you!"

She eased the pressure on his throat, but did not remove her foot. "Where is he?"

He took a deep breath. "He goes to the Thirteenth Squad to see some girl. I think he said it was Lieutenant Kuchiki. He takes her gifts and presents almost everyday, and I do his chores for him. We were hoping you wouldn't find out."

She put her deadly foot back on the ground and chuckled, "you can't keep anything from me. I'm smarter than the both of you put together. And don't forget it."

"Yes Captain."

"Now for the second time, get everyone out here so we can train. I'll take care of Loverboy later. He chose the wrong Captain to piss off."

* * *

Jyuushiro's office door slid open and a fuming woman stormed in. "Good evening, Captain Ukitake. Do you have a moment?"

He looked at her with a cordial face, but he was surprised to see her, to say the least. She rarely came to visit him. "Good evening to you too, and yes, I have a moment. What do you need?"

"We need to talk about your lieutenant. It has been brought to my attention that she is harboring a member from my squad. It seems to be the new one that you sent to me earlier this week."

Jyuushiro sat up straight in his chair, quirking an eyebrow. "Junichi?"

"Yes," she nodded, moving to sit in one of the chairs. Seating herself, she quickly scratched a bare shoulder and continued. "I don't know what is going on or what happened between all of you in this squad, and really, it's none of my concern. But what _is_ my concern is that one of my men frequently neglects his responsibilities to visit your lieutenant, bearing gifts and other things."

"Really? I didn't know this was going on," he told her, rubbing the side of his face with an open palm. "I assure you, I had no idea."

She nodded again, convinced in his honesty. "I believe you; I just want all of this to stop. Now, my lieutenant told me that he is here right now, but since I am on your grounds, I will let you take care of it. So when you see the boy, tell him to come back to my squad. And if _I _have to get involved, he will not like what I will do."

Jyuushiro stood up and bowed slightly. "I will make sure that he returns to you. Thank you for telling me this."

She stood as well and bowed. "Thank you for taking care of it. Let's hope this is the end of all the problems."

He rounded the desk and followed the shorter Captain to the door. "I agree. Let me know if there is anything thing else you need." He smiled at her as she left.

"You do the same," she said, then walked down the hallway and outside.

Once she was gone, he closed the door and leaned against the wall. He could not believe the information he was just given. Still coming to see Rukia? This kid had some nerve! And not to mention that fact that she did not send him away? This was the last straw. He will officially wash his hands of all this. Now.

* * *

"You know, I still don't feel comfortable with you coming to see me everyday," Rukia said, sitting down in the chair across the table from Junichi. She handed him a bottle of water. "I'm with Jyuushiro now."

He leaned back in his seat and grinned at her. "Really? If that were true, I still don't understand why you accept everything I give you. And also why you let me see you basically anytime I want. You want me just as much as I want you. Why can't you admit that in front of Captain Ukitake?"

"Because it's not true."

"I don't believe you."

"You don't have to. I don't have to prove anything to you."

He popped open the water bottle and downed a good quarter of it. "If only your actions didn't contradict your words."

They both jumped when the doorbell rang, and with a nervous laugh, Rukia said, "I'll get it."

"No, don't worry about it. I got it," Junichi said, getting up and beating her to the door. He opened it, and his eyes widened. "What..."

"Why are you here?" Jyuushiro asked, walking past him. Junichi turned over his shoulder. "I'm here for Rukia."

The silver haired man glared at him. "Not anymore. Go back to your squad. Your captain came by and told me that she knows you come here everyday. And by you coming here, you are not doing your duties back in your squad. So you need to leave and never come back, like I've told you a number of times before."

Junichi gulped. "Sh-she knows?"

"Very much aware."

"Well... maybe then I should go."

"Mmmhmm."

Rukia watched him bolt out the open door, and then looked at Jyuushiro with pleading eyes. "Hey."

He paced about the room for a moment, his silence only masking his raging anger inside. "I'm done with this. I'm finished."

Rukia's mouth dropped at his statement. "What do you mean?"

He turned to her and shook his head. "I can't do this anymore. This is too much."

"Why?" Tears started to collect in the corner of her eyes.

He threw up his arms in frustration. "Why? Are you seriously asking me that? I don't want to have to compete with Junichi! I feel like I'm putting a hundred percent into this, and you aren't. If you were really serious about us, then why do you accept his gifts? Why do you see him behind my back? Why do you think you can have both of us?"

She sniffed. "I don't. I only want you."

"Well, I'm not convinced in the least. When you are ready for us to be together, let me know. And that means Junichi is gone. For good."

He walked out and left her alone in the middle of her living room. The door was still open, and the autumn leaves blew in from outside and were strewn across the floor. But she didn't care. Jyuushiro was gone, and it was her fault. She had to get him back; but she didn't quite know how.

* * *

**AN: **How sad. But once again, I will reiterate that this is a RukiaUkitake fic, so please don't hate me. This story will grow into something bigger than I thought it would, and I want to carry out my ideas in their entirety. Please be patient. Review if you like and the big boom is coming soon!


	14. Recovery

**AN:** This chapter is being served to you piping hot and ready. Enjoy and review if you like.

* * *

**Beneath You**

**Chapter Fourteen: **Recovery

Rukia collapsed on her couch after closing the door, crying into a pillow and reaching for the phone. Even in her current state, there was only one person she wanted to call. She wiped the tears from her blurry eyes and dialed a number. She patiently waited through the rings until someone answered. "Hello?" Matsumoto's voice came through the receiver.

"I need you to come over. Something terrible has happened," she sniffled into the phone.

A pause. "Yeah. I'm coming over right now."

"Thanks."

Rukia hung up the phone and stood from the couch. She wiped her eyes again and took a deep breath to keep herself from crying. It wasn't working. She fell back onto the couch and continued to calm herself until she heard the door open and someone walk in. "Rukia, get up and talk to me. What happened?"

She sat up and looked at Matsumoto with puffy eyes. "He broke up with me."

"What?"

"Jyuushiro... he broke up with me."

Matsumoto's mouth fell open as she processed the news, then asked, "why would he want to break up with you?"

Rukia wiped more tears from underneath her eyes. "He said that I was trying to have him and Junichi at the same time. I wasn't... but he didn't see it that way."

"Well, it sure sounds that way since you let Junichi come over everyday."

"Wait, what? How did you know that he still comes to see me?"

The orange-haired woman darted her eyes, searching for a quick answer. "Surely you didn't think he'd forget about you even after he got transferred right? I just made a good guess."

Rukia nodded. "Oh. But what am I supposed to do about Jyuushiro?"

Matsumoto seized her by the shoulders and pulled her close. "Do not tell Junichi. If you tell him, then he will be over here more than he already is. He'll see that as his opportunity, and he will only make things worse for you. And himself."

"So do I send him away if he comes?"

"You should have been doing that already. But, yes, send him away."

"Okay."

"Good," Matsumoto said, releasing her and standing. "I'll leave you for right now. I've got something to do."

Rukia gave her a weak smile, stood as well, and disappeared into her room.

Matsumoto made sure the door to her room was closed, then went for the phone. She quickly dialed a number and chanted for him to pick up. "Yeah?"

"Hey, Hisagi, it's me. Did you pick up everything we need?"

"Yeah I got it."

"Good. Everything is going down tomorrow. And don't back out on me."

He sighed. "I won't. But you know, we haven't spent any _special_ time together since we've been following that guy. When are we going to make up for that?"

She rolled her eyes. He was insatiable. "Tonight, I guess. But only if you promise to be focused tomorrow. I need you to be on board."

"Fine. I'll be whatever you need me to."

"See you tonight."

* * *

Jyuushiro slid the door open a little and poked his head in. "Captain Soi, do you have a moment?"

She lifted her head from her desk and gazed up at him. Sleepily, she gestured for him to enter. "Yes, I have some time."

He closed the door and sat down. He looked her over. "Why don't you get some sleep in your quarters?"

"Because the second I lay down, someone is going to need something. Between my squad and my Special Forces, I don't get much sleep. What do you need?"

"I wanted to tell you that I've taken a big step in resolving these problems between certain members of our squads."

She rubbed her eyes and shrugged. "Okay... so what else needs to be done to end all of this? I know I don't have all the information, but what about the boy?"

Jyuushiro wasn't sure of how to answer. But he knew that in order for the both of them to reach a solution, she needed to know more about the situation. "I think that I should tell you what's been going on."

She sat up straight at hearing this. "That would be helpful. I don't want this to continue any longer."

He half-smiled in agreement. He didn't want to involve anyone else in his problems, but he knew that she would be effective in eliminating the issue. He was a little too nice for what needed to be done, but Soi did not care. She struck fear into the hearts of her men, and herself being a woman, it would require her to be _that much_ tougher. And she was, no doubt. So, with him understanding all of that and swearing her to secrecy, he proceeded to tell his fellow Captain everything. She was quiet the whole time, taking in all that he was telling her. She nodded at times and grimaced at others, but was overall educated about the parties involved. "So, what do you think we should do now?"

Soi took a long blink. "The two should be kept apart. Obviously, they cannot see each other without compromising their work. But that will also benefit you since you don't want them together anyway."

"Exactly."

"But you know, if you and Lieutenant Kuchiki aren't seeing each other anymore, what does it matter about the boy seeing her?"

Brown irises hit steel ones. "He messed things up for me. If Rukia and I can't be together, then they won't either."

Soi shrugged. "That is exactly why I don't bother with pursuing relationships. It's usually not worth it."

He stood up and gave a little laugh. "I wouldn't count you out, either. I bet there's a guy you have your eye on."

She shook her head. "You bet wrong. And even if there was, I wouldn't have time for him anyway."

"We'll see."

Jyuushiro left her office in lighter moods, and immediately, she called in her Lieutenant. "Yes, Lady Captain?" Oomaeda responded, timidly entering the room, his black eye displaying his reasoning. "Do you need something?"

"Go get the boy."

"Junichi?"

"Go get him."

Oomaeda nodded, and strode out of the room, hurriedly searching for Junichi. He didn't want to keep her waiting; he was in enough trouble already. "Junichi!" he called down the hallways. "Junichi!"

A tap on the shoulder whirled him around to see the very person he was searching for. "Why are you calling me?"

Grabbing his arm and flying down the hallway, Oomaeda replied, "Captain needs to see you right now. She knows that I've been covering for you and that you've been leaving everyday to see Lieutenant Kuchiki. She kicked my ass for it, and now she's going to give your punishment."

Alarmed, Junichi began to pull against the grasp on his arm. "Wait! Is she going to beat me up too?"

"Probably not. She doesn't hit people in her office. She wouldn't want blood on her stuff."

Oomaeda pushed him through the door and into their Captain's office, and blocked the frame with his wide body. He didn't want Junichi to escape his punishment. If he did, then guess who would take the pain instead? Exactly.

"Yes, Lady Captain?" Junichi asked, trembling a little. "You needed me?"

She stood from her chair, and he started to tremble a little more. "Yes." She rounded her desk and held out a folded piece of paper. "These are your new chores. Since you did not complete your first week, you will have to start over. And the list doubled. Make sure you do _everything_ on this paper everyday. Understand?"

He nodded. He took the paper but didn't dare to open it. Besides, his fear wouldn't let his hands complete such a difficult task. "Yes, Lady Captain."

"Oh. And don't even think about leaving squad grounds either. You are not to leave here for any reason. Understand?"

"Yes, Lady Captain."

"Good. You are dismissed."

Both men bowed low before exiting into the hallway. Neither of them spoke until they were outside and on their way to their quarters. "It wasn't that bad," Junichi said, looking over the paper. He made a face. "That is a lot of stuff to do every single day."

"Well, you shouldn't have been blowing off your work. You could have been done with all of that at the end of this week."

"True, but that's okay. It's all about to come together. I just need one more day."

Oomaeda held his arm out in front of Junichi and they both stopped walking. "What did you just say? Are you doing to see Lieutenant Kuchiki again?"

"Just one more time. That should be enough to get her to dump Captain Ukitake."

"You can't be serious."

"..."

Oomaeda shook his head. "You haven't learned anything! Do what you want, but I'm not going to be a part of this. If Lady Captain asks, then I'm telling her."

"Then avoid her while I'm gone. I'll leave right after lunch. Just avoid her until I come back."

"I can't avoid her! I'm her Lieutenant; if she needs something, then I have to help her. That's pretty much my job. And if I'm not available to her, then she'll _really_ know something is wrong,"

Junichi shrugged. "Fine then. Don't help me. But I'm going to finish all my chores tomorrow and make a quick visit. I'll be gone fifteen minutes at the most."

Oomaeda shook his head again. "Do whatever. But I'm not going to help you. My bruises are just now starting to heal." He gave his sore face a quick rub. "But why are you risking yourself? Lady Captain could really hurt you if she found out."

"That's an easy question to answer. I love her."

* * *

**AN:** No surprise there, I guess. But things are progressing, and big changes are almost here. I hope you enjoyed the above text, so review if you like. I want to give a timetable for the next update, so expect Chapter Fifteen to be up around Tuesday. Damn job. Have a good one.


	15. Earth

**AN: **And the train keeps on rolling! I really appreciate the reviews, so thank you! Review if you like.

* * *

**Beneath You**

**Chapter Fifteen: **Earth

"Yesterday, Jyuushiro broke up with her. And we have to keep Junichi from seeing her. So that means that we need to find a good place to nab him where no one will see."

He rubbed his chin. "I don't know. We can't get him from Captain Soi's grounds. One of her... ninja... people will see us and tell her for sure."

She flipped her hair from her face. "Then we need to get him off of Second Squad grounds. How are we going to do that?"

"Grab him while he's on his way to see Lieutenant Kuchiki. That seems to be the only way."

"Good idea. That's what we'll do."

* * *

He whistled to himself as he casually ascended the steps to Rukia's door. He looked over the flowers he held in his hand one last time before knocking on the door. _Knock knock._

_Knock knock._

_Knock knock._

He waited a few moments before shrugging; obviously she wasn't there. He turned away from the door to go down the steps, but then he heard the door open. He whirled around, a big smile on his face. "Ruki-"

A foot to the mouth threw him backwards, down the steps, and to the dirt. He struggled to sit up, and was about to ask Rukia why she kicked him. Until he saw that it wasn't Rukia. His mouth was suddenly very dry.

"Wow, it's amazing that I'd find you here," Captain Soi said, folding her arms across her chest. "Somehow, I knew you'd be here. Now, I was hoping I'd be wrong about that. But I'm not. Why is that?"

He spat a stream of blood into the ground. "I-I'm sorry, Lady Captain."

She walked through the door's frame and down the steps, shaking her head. She let her arms fall down to her sides, and stood over Junichi with a rare grin. "Oh no. It's too late. I gave you too many chances to straighten up, and you didn't think enough of me to do it. So all apologies are over with. I bet you know what is coming next, don't you?"

Fear overtaking him, he began to scoot along the ground, away from her. "You don't have to do this. I obeyed every other order you gave me."

Soi's smile faded. "You didn't. But it doesn't matter. The point is, I don't repeat my orders _period_. And I told you too many times to stay away from here. Now you will be punished."

He moved further back as he watched her remove her white robe and fold it neatly over the steps that led to Rukia's door. Her bare shoulders rotated in small, quick circles as she loosened them, and when she turned back to him, his eyes widened. "Please forgive me, Lady Captain. I will follow every order you give from now on."

"I know you will. I'll beat it into you to make sure you understand."

He wanted to say more but she crashed her foot into his stomach, making him roll on his side and writhe in pain. Before he would recover, another kick to his stomach sent him sliding across the grass. He coughed into the ground as he tried to catch his breath, but once again, he was not allowed the chance. He could feel her grab a handful of his brown hair and pull until he was on his knees. He bit his tongue when her fist met his cheek, and he teetered backwards as her uppercut greeted his chin. His eyes rolled back as the pain stung all over his body while she unleashed her anger upon him. He knew better than to fight back; he could tell she was holding back. _'If the pain is so intense now, what would it be if I fought back? Unbelievable.'_

The last blow to his face via her elbow pushed him over and he collapsed on the ground. He blinked a few times to clear his vision, but it didn't help. He tried to pull himself up, but his body wouldn't move. He tried again but hissed through his teeth in pain, and he plopped back down. _'It hurts too much to even think about moving,'_ he thought to himself. _'From this moment on, I will follow everything she tells me. I'll just have to settle for writing Rukia letters. I think that's allowed...'_

"Are you going to do what I tell you now?" he heard her ask, and he cautiously turned his head to her. She stood there with her arms over her chest, and behind her, he could see a crowd of his former comrades looking on. Most of them had shocked expressions, but one of them caught his attention.

_'Rukia...'_

A small but neatly placed foot applied pressure to his throat. He remembered his current condition and stared up at his Captain. "So you are going to ignore me now? I thought you would've learned your lesson by now."

"Wait --" Junichi squeaked in panic just before a punch to the face bounced him from the dirt and into the air. The small foot implanted itself in his right side and flew him into the soil quite a distance away.

"Captain! Wait!" Rukia shouted, running after the woman walking over to her 'punching bag' that lay limp on the ground. She ran faster when she saw Captain Soi deliver a series of punches to Junichi's midsection as he yelled in pain. Tears began to spill from her eyes; she knew exactly why Junichi was taking such a beating from one of the strongest Captains in Soul Society. For her. He was enduring such pain... for her.

"Answer me!" Captain Soi grinned as she continued to abuse the body of her subordinate. "Have you learned your lesson?"

"Captain, stop!" Rukia shouted again, finally reaching them. Without thinking, she seized hold of Captain Soi's arm to stop her oncoming blow. Rukia froze when she realized what she had done, but didn't let go. "Please... stop."

Captain Soi stood up straight and glared at her. She was only a few inches taller than Rukia, but her demeanor made her seem at least twice as tall. Rukia shrunk back under her steely gaze, and braced herself for harsh words. She got a kick to the head instead.

She flew backward, and slid against the scattered rocks as she landed. Her vision was blurred and her head was throbbing, but she managed to see the approaching figure of her attacker stand over her. "Don't ever touch me again, Lieutenant. I don't need you to tell me how to discipline my men, especially since you are one of the people at fault. Next time, a kick won't be the only thing you get."

Finally, Rukia's eyes focused and she gestured for her men once the Captain retreated. Whispering, she told them, "go get Captain Ukitake. Right now." They nodded and ran off, and she pushed herself into a sitting position. A few drops of a liquid fell down the side of her face, and she rose a pair of fingers to feel the damage. Blood covered her fingers when she brought them back into her view. "I'm bleeding..." she said to herself. She looked up and across the grass to Junichi. His condition was much worse. Blood and dirt mingled together to make a dark brown mixture, and she had to cover her mouth to keep from making a sound. She only watched.

Captain Soi was standing over him by then, and she squatted next to him. "Don't make me have to do this again. I'd much rather hit someone else, but how else are you going to learn if I don't teach you? Now... when you can stand, go back to your quarters and clean yourself up. I _would_ take you back with me, but since you got here by yourself, you can get back the same way. See you at dinner."

She stood back up and went back to Rukia's porch and retrieved her robe. She took a scan of the surrounding crowd, but didn't say anything. The men stepped out of her way as she left the scene, and within a second, she was gone.

"Rukia," the voice of Jyuushiro reached her and she looked up to see him. He helped her up and she stumbled a bit; the blow left her dizzy as well. He asked her what happened when he spotted the gash on the side of her head. "That looks pretty bad."

"Captain Soi was here," she replied. She pointed at the still body and continued, "she caught Junichi here and beat him up. I tried to help him, but then she kicked me. And then she just left him there."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

He nodded and glanced over the bloody body. "Okay. Come on, let's get you in to see Captain Unohana."

"What about Junichi?"

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Fine. Will two of you guys please take him to the Fourth Division?"

"Yes sir."

"Yes sir!"

He looked down into her face and smiled. "Now he's taken care of. So are you ready to go or what?"

She smiled back at him weakly. "Yeah. We can go now."

The pair walked off and the area cleared out as all the spectators left. The two volunteers approached Junichi and bent low to pick up the wounded man. He was gathered in their arms and they stood up, but was greeted by two figures dressed in black. Their entire bodies were covered except for their eyes. One of them began to speak, his voice muffled and distorted by the cloth that was pressed against his lips. "Put him down."

"What?" one of the men said, cocking his head to the side. "Why?"

"Because I told you to."

"What are you going to do with him?" the other one asked.

"None of your business," the other black-clad person said. It was a woman. "We'll take care of him. I'll see to it that he's okay."

"Who are you?" the first man said, peering into her eyes.

"His bodyguards. He hired us from the Hirokai District, and we are here to protect him. So leave him where he is and get lost somewhere."

The two men looked at each other and then to the dark figures. The woman's eyes pierced into theirs; daring them to call her a liar. They believed her, to say the least. "Okay," the men agreed and lowered Junichi to the ground. They backed away and cautiously left them alone with the body.

"Who are you?" Junichi coughed, waking and straining to see who he was left with.

"The last people you'll be seeing for a while," the male said, bending down next to him. "When we're done with you, Lieutenant Kuchiki will not be an option for you anymore. I promise you that."

* * *

**AN:** I guess you could say that Junichi finally got what came to him. How much further will this go? Will Junichi come out of this completely repulsed by Rukia? What do his captors have in store? Find out in Chapter Sixteen! Review if you like.


	16. Lost

**AN: **Well, it seems that Junichi will be dealing with a little problem, and Jyuushiro may have a few things on his mind as well. I wonder what will happen! Please enjoy the following text and review if you want.

* * *

**Beneath You**

**Chapter Sixteen:** Lost

She blinked against the fluorescent lighting of the clinic. They were too bright; she shielded her eyes from the blinding bulbs. She sat up and looked around, but her head was spinning, so she lay back down again. She didn't see anyone, but she knew exactly where she was. It would only be about a minute before the Captain herself walked in.

"Well, Lieutenant, I hope you are feeling better," Captain Unohana greeted, entering the room and standing next to the bed. "It seems like you took quite a hit. It didn't look very good when you came in; I was a little worried. Does your head hurt?"

"A little," Rukia replied, sitting up with the help of her current caretaker. "Is Jyuu... Captain Ukitake here?"

Unohana gave her a curious look but answered her question. "No, he's not here. He told me that he went to see Captain Soi and that he probably wouldn't be back before you woke up. Care to tell me why?"

"Hmm..." Rukia thought aloud as she tilted her head back at Unohana's request. The large, soiled gauze was removed from the wound on her head and replaced with a clean one. "I didn't know that he'd go see her so soon."

"... what happened? He wasn't volunteering much information of how you got this wound and who did it. Was it Captain Soi?"

Lowering her head again, Rukia nodded. "Yeah, it was her. I came home from the store and saw her beating up on a... former member of my squad. Without thinking, I tried to stop her."

"And she hit you."

Another nod. "It hurt really bad."

Unohana sighed as she crossed the room to throw the gauze away. "I'm sure it did. She's a... tough one. I can completely believe that she did something like this. Her temper is nothing to get in the way of."

"I learned that the hard way."

"So," Unohana started, turning back to her patient. "Are you as angry with her as I am? She has a lot of nerve to do what she did! Her rage rivals some of the men!"

Rukia shook her head, then quickly placed a palm to her temple. The spinning stopped. "No, I'm not. She was only doing what she felt she needed to. Keeping order in her squad is important to her, as I have learned. Besides, I'm too afraid of her to be angry."

"Understood."

"So, did... anyone else get brought in to you?"

The long haired woman lifted her eyes in thought, then a negatory response. "No, you're the only one I've treated. Today was unusually slow. Was there supposed to be someone else?"

Rukia scratched the top of her head. "Yeah. The guy who got beat up was supposed to be brought here. Captain Ukitake was going to make sure he got here."

"I bet Captain Soi made him go back to her squad grounds before she would let him come see me," Unohana shrugged, standing at the foot of Rukia's bed. "She's known to wound her own men and make them suffer with their injuries before she allows them to be healed. If anything, he's probably back in his quarters washing the blood from his body. I'm sure he'll pop in tomorrow."

"You're right. He's okay. I'll just see him tomorrow."

The Captain gave Rukia's foot a quick pat. "Good. Now get some rest. You'll be out of here in a couple of hours, and you need your strength for when you walk home. I don't want you to get dizzy and fall into the dirt on your way back!"

Rukia gave a weak laugh. "Don't worry about me. I probably won't have to walk back. I'm sure Captain Ukitake will be back to get me himself."

Another curious look and a pleasant smile. "Let's hope he does. I'll wake you up when he gets here."

"Thank you."

* * *

Her back was to him as he entered her office. She had a towel in her hand and was running the cloth over her arms and her shoulders, still bare from her modified robes. The blood splattered over her skin was swept away and her smooth complexion returned. She folded the towel and draped it over the back of her chair. He had a suspicion she was smiling at her deed. "Yes, Captain Ukitake? What do you need?"

"Just want to talk. I think you have a moment."

The hidden smile dropped and she turned to face him. The cold expression was in place. "Talk."

"Why did you beat Junichi in the middle of the walkway on my squad grounds? And in addition to that, you struck my Lieutenant. Explain."

Her steely eyes hardened considerably. She rounded her desk and stood directly in front of him. He was at least a foot taller than she, but he could feel the heat from her gaze. "I kicked his ass because he disobeyed me again. I will not tolerate that and you know it. The boy needed to learn a lesson, and I taught it to him. And as for your Lieutenant, she got in the way of my disciplinary actions. She lay her hands on me, and I had to remind her that I am _not _you. While you let her touch all over you or whatnot, she will not touch me for any reason."

Despite her harsh words, he knew she was right. Rukia should not have interfered. "I get it. I understand why you did what you did. But next time, just don't do it in front of everybody, okay?"

An eyebrow quirked. "You aren't mad at me? I hit your Lieutenant. I kicked the boy's ass on your grounds. And none of this makes you angry?"

He shrugged. "In my opinion, Junichi deserved it. And Lieutenant Kuchiki should've stayed out of your business. Junichi is in your squad now; he is no longer my problem."

"Well... it's good that you share my view. It would be unfortunate if we didn't agree on this, especially since this situation is so advanced. Hopefully, the boy will understand how serious I am when I tell him to do something."

Jyuushiro chuckled under his breath. "I didn't think he would need to find that out. Everyone knows that you don't disobey your Captain, especially the one of the Second Division. Even my own men will follow your orders to the exact word."

Soi brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. "I guess there are a few who need to be made examples out of. By the way, I didn't receive word that he came back. I specifically told the guards at my Entrance Gate that if he returned, that I was to be notified immediately. But since yesterday, no one's told me anything. If I have to find that boy..."

"Wait. He didn't come back?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't know where he went, but I guess I didn't hurt him enough the first time."

Jyuushiro stared at the wall as ideas swirled around in his head. "I don't know where he could be either. He can't be with my Lieutenant; I just left Retsu's clinic. So, where else could he go?"

"I bet he's still crawling back from where I left him," Soi said, leaning against the edge of her desk. "He might be back by sundown at that pace. I'll stay alert for when he finally gets back. He'll have some heavy explaining to do if he _walks_ in instead of _crawls _in. He shouldn't want to make me mad again."

He laughed a little and gave her a salute. "Yes Captain!"

* * *

He blinked against the darkness that surrounded him. He couldn't see a thing, and he had no idea of where he was. He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in his shoulders wouldn't let him. He laid back down at attempted to pull his hands toward him. They were strapped down. He tried to move his legs, but they were strapped down as well. Panic began to overtake him as his memory brought back the image of the mysterious man and woman who he talked to before he blacked out. He wanted to call out to see if they were there, but he knew that his fate would come all the sooner.

He strained through the lack of light to try to see anything in the room. He thought he could make out something, but he wasn't sure. But his current task was deemed unimportant as a series of footsteps rang out. The clicks of shoes resonated off the walls, and he heard a door open somewhere. A stream of light appeared, and two figures walked in. He could only see their silhouettes, but he knew that it was his captors. He called out to them. "Where am I?"

"Don't worry about that," the man said as he neared Junichi. The door was left open so Junichi could see him, but his face was still covered. "We'll take care of you soon enough."

A small tremble ran through him, but he tried not to show it. He cleared his throat and he asked, "when will you let me go?"

The woman entered the room after the question, laughing at the inquiry. "We're not. You're not going anywhere."

Junichi stared at her, unsure of whether he caught her response correctly. "What do you mean? Are you _ever_ going to let me go?"

She approached him and ran a finger along the side of his face. "We might. But your chances aren't looking good right now. We haven't even... _touched_ you yet. All that blood on you is from your Captain. She's pretty hardcore..."

"So what are you going to do to me?"

Her finger continued to trace the contours of his face as she spoke. "I don't know yet. I guess I do whatever strikes me." Then, without warning, she jerked her hand away and backhanded Junichi across the face. "Like that."

He took the blow silently and tried not to call her a name in anger. Recently, he felt pain much worse than that, but he couldn't curse at the first woman who hit him today. She'd kill him. "Why do you have me here? What did I do to you? Who _are_ you?"

Another backhand across the face had him biting his tongue, but listening. "We took you because you need to learn a lesson. Two Captains have been trying to save you from this fate, but you didn't take advantage of it. All you had to do was leave Rukia alone --"

"Rukia?"

"-- and you would have been fine. But I guess we'll have to take you out of the equation altogether."

Junichi tried to sit up again, but his shoulders creaked and he cringed in pain. He lay back down again. "What does Rukia have to do with this?"

"We are her protectors," the woman continued. "We don't want you around to interfere with her and Captain Ukitake, and since you don't take hints very well, then we will make sure you don't interfere. With anybody."

His mouth was open to reply, but he shut it again. With a gulp, he nearly whispered, "are you going to kill me?"

She chuckled a bit and said nothing. She could tell she was worrying him, and her answer will only make it worse. She loved it. "I think we will. I mean, things for Rukia would be so much better. She can be with Captain Ukitake and not even have to worry about you. Life would be so much easier for her. I think killing you would be best."

"Wait," the man whispered, beckoning her over to him. She followed him right outside the door, and they spoke, right out of Junichi's earshot. "What are you doing? When did we decide we were going to kill him. Is this some kind of... joke to mess with him?"

She cocked her head to the side as she thought. "No... I'm thinking we really should kill him."

"Why?"

"Because if we torture him and let him go, do you really think that he'd learn his lesson? I mean, he willingly took a beating from Captain Soi for Rukia. He must be crazy."

He shrugged. "I bet she didn't hit him all that hard. But really? We have to kill him?"

She nodded her head. "Of course! If we don't, Captain Soi will. The second he goes back to see Rukia, then he's dead anyway! You know she doesn't like to do things more than once, and I'm sure kicking ass is one of them."

"Is that all?"

"No, it's not. It's dangerous for Rukia every time he goes to see her. Who knows what he'll say next time. That next time might be when she gives in! And we can't have that. The entire point of all this is to _prevent_ them from getting together!"

He ran a hand over his face and sighed. "I really don't want to do this. I think it's a bad idea and we'll probably get caught."

She placed her hands on his shoulders to steady him. "How? We covered our faces and hands, no one knows who we are and we left no prints. How can we be found?"

"I don't know, but I have a feeling we will."

She gave him a light shake. "You worry too much. There is no way we can get caught. We kill him, Rukia gets her man, and everything will be fine. I want my friend to be happy and get married, and I'm not going to have some insignificant guy destroy that!"

He sighed again. "I still don't know..."

She let go of his shoulders and closed the distance between their faces. Her voice was low. "You love me, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"Don't you want me to be happy?"

"Oh no... don't make this about you... you want to take a _life_. How can this be about _you_..."

"You want me to be happy, right?"

A third sigh. He knew where this was going. "Yes."

"Then help me. I need you to help me. If you do, then I'll be happy."

He took a step away from her. He shook his head. "You want to kill somebody. This was never a part of the plan. You said kidnap, torture a little, then let him go. You never mentioned killing him."

She stepped closer to him. "Plans change. And besides, he will never go away until he is dead. You know that, and I know that. Now please, help me with this. Captain Soi will kill him anyway."

"Then let her do it. She won't get in the kind of trouble we will."

"But we won't get caught! I promise we won't. You just have to trust me. Please... trust me."

He looked into her pleading eyes, the only part of her not covered by their concealing clothes. Her green eyes bore into him, pleading... asking... begging. He only wanted to make her happy, that was all he ever wanted to do. But she was asking a lot. To take a life is something that should not be decided within a few moments of thinking. He didn't want to do it at all, but did he really want to let her down? Did he really want her to be anything but happy? Was this the only way? He knew it was; and he had to take it. "Damnit. Fine."

"Yay!" she squealed and threw her arms around his neck. "Thanks baby!"

"Mmmhmm."

Releasing him, she promptly re-entered the room with their alarmed victim. "Guess what?" she asked, rubbing her hands together.

"...what?"

"We decided that we are going to kill you!"

"WHAT?"

She giggled as she reached up to loosen her mask. The material fell from her face and Junichi could see her features in their entirety. "Yep! You won't be living much longer. That's why I figured that I can take this off. You won't live to tell anyone what happened! So why bother?"

"Lieutenant Matsu...moto?"

"Yes sir, it's me," she said as she knelt next to the table on which he lay. She whispered into his ear, "my face will probably be the last one you see. Doesn't that excite you?"

He stared at her, wide-eyed. "Why are you doing this to me? What business is it of yours about what's going on with Rukia?"

Her eyes darkened at his question. She stood and gave him another stiff backhand. "She's my friend! And you are messing up everything!" Her voice echoed off the walls. "She can't be happy because of you! And now, you will die for it."

"Please... don't kill me," he pleaded, tears forming in his eyes. They streamed down the side of his face. "I love Rukia. Please don't take me away from her."

Her expression was blank. His words didn't get through. She didn't want to hear them anyway. She reached below the table and pulled something out. The object scraped against the ground as she revealed it; her sword. She raised it into his view and watched his resulting fear. The scarce light glinted against the blade as she twirled it in her hand. Then, she bent down again and held the sword against his throat. "I can end it so easily," she whispered, applying pressure to his skin. "A little slip of my hand and you'll be gone forever. So, what do you have to say now?"

A stray tear flowed onto the sharp blade. He swallowed. "Do it."

* * *

**AN: **Wow. A lot is going on right now, huh? Sorry for the lack of updating, but I wanted to give a good, long chapter for all to read. Review if you like.


	17. Slice

**AN: **I return with another chapter! I had to take some time off to do some thorough planning, so there will be another period of quick updating before it slows down again. I hope this is living up to a higher standard in comparison to my other fics. We'll see. Review if you want.

* * *

**Beneath You**

**Chapter Seventeen: **Slice

A little tune came to her lips as she exited the clinic, a light bandage still fastened to her temple. She shut the door behind her and turned over her shoulder to see her Captain standing at the base of the steps. He had a smile on his face and a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He extended his hand and offered her the bright tulips. Her favorite. "How are you feeling?"

"All right," she said softly, descending the steps and taking the flowers from him. "My head hurts a little, but nothing compared to when I came in."

He nodded. "Good. I should get you back to your quarters so you can lay down. I don't want you moving around too much until you are better."

"It's okay. Captain Unohana told me I can resume my duties, just as long as I take it easy. Nothing too strenuous."

He looked her over with a furrowed brow, unsure of how to feel about her current condition. He was glad to know that she was okay now, but he couldn't help but feel that she got hurt because of him. Despite the fact that Junichi was actually the one responsible. Despite the fact that if Junichi had left Rukia alone, she would not be in pain now. _'It's all his fault,'_ he came to realize. _'All of it. Every bit of it.'_

The sound of Rukia's voice brought him out of his thoughts as she asked him a question, but he did not hear the words. "What?"

She looked up at him. "I asked you if Junichi ever turned up."

"Oh. Um... no, he hasn't."

"What? Are you serious? You told me that you'd make sure Junichi was taken of!"

"And you saw me tell two of my men to bring him here!"

She ran her fingers over her face and exhaled soundly. "I can't believe that _no one_ knows where he is!"

He placed a careful hand on her shoulder, but she jerked away. Lowering his voice, he said, "maybe he's off somewhere trying to get himself together. Y'know, thinking about what happened. Besides, he could be healed by now and absolutely fine. If he came here, he'd be bombarded by questions, so he probably went somewhere to avoid everyone. See, that makes sense."

The look she gave him made him snap his mouth shut, but her words portrayed the opposite of the warning glare. "Maybe you're right. Junichi is probably somewhere safe, trying to sort everything out. But I wish he'd come back. He's making me worry."

She turned away from him and began walking from the Fourth Division building, unaware that Jyuushiro didn't follow her. He couldn't move; he was paralyzed by her reply.

_'But I wish he'd come back. He's making me worry.'_

Really?

"Captain!" he heard her call from a distance. He didn't bother to look in her direction, but started down the road after her, her words still replaying in his mind. _'Did she miss him that much? Why does he mean so much to her? Why?'

* * *

  
_

Harrowing screams filled the room. Blood flowed freely from his body. Tears streamed down his neck and soaked into the tattered shirt he wore. Thoughts of Rukia flashed in his mind between the moments of excruciating pain that was inflicted on his tired body. His throat was raw from wailing, and even swallowing made him wince. Another digit was sliced from his hand and the now lifeless finger fell to the floor, discarded with the others. His eyes shut tight as he cried out again, salty tears springing from his eyes and down his face, traveling the established routes from previous droplets. A maniacal laugh was heard, a woman's, but no male counterpart could be detected.

"You know, I'm really enjoying myself," Matsumoto chuckled, leaning into Junichi's face. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then stood up again. "Don't tell Hisagi about that little kiss. He won't like that very much. We'll keep that between us." A full laugh now. "You'll probably take that one to the grave."

"Do it!" Junichi yelled back at her, lifting his chin and exposing his neck. "Do it! Please!"

She flipped a few locks of hair out of her face. "That again? I heard you the first dozen times you said it, and my answer is still the same. You will endure everything I give you until _I_ decide it's time for you to die. UNDERSTAND ME?"

Her shriek resonated throughout the room, causing him to flinch. He nodded. "Fine. But all I ask is that you do it soon. Please."

She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe... maybe not."

"Matsumoto!" another voice called.

She whirled toward the door. "What do you want, Hisagi? I'm in the middle of something here!"

"Just come here."

She sighed heavily in annoyance as she crossed the room and stepped outside the door, where Hisagi was leaning against the wall. He kept his eyes straight ahead. "What do you want?"

"For you to end it already. What exactly are you waiting for? The longer we stay here, the bigger chance we have of being discovered missing. We _are_ Lieutenants, who have Captains to answer to."

She glanced into the room at their victim, then back at him. "I just wanted to have a little fun. I'll do it soon."

He cut his eyes to her. He wasn't buying it. "You want to make him suffer. But really, what he did wasn't that bad, was it?"

"... well..."

"I want you to go in there and do it already. I still don't like it, but since even _he_ wants to die, then you should at least give him that. But don't make him suffer anymore."

"...but..."

"If you don't do it now, then I'm walking out of this building right now."

"Fine!" she agreed, throwing up her hands. She let them fall to her sides as she tried to give him a pleading look. He looked away. "All right, all right! I'm going!"

She trudged back into the room, taking small steps to approach the writhing man who was still bound to the bloody table. He let his head fall to the side and shut his eyes tight when he saw her, preparing for more pain. His breathing was laborious, and tears continually traveled down his cheeks. He couldn't take anymore. "Please..." he whispered, his chest rising and falling heavily with every word spoken. "Please..."

"I think it's time for you to leave us," Matsumoto said, bending over to pick up her blade. She took the sword a few steps away from him to a second table, where she began to sharpen her tool's edge. "I'm tired of cutting off your fingers and toes, and poking holes in your legs. I'm just tired of... you."

"Please..."

"So, what do you have to say for yourself before I do you a favor and kill you?"

He swallowed hard and tried to make his eyes focus. "I... want you to know that I never meant to hurt Rukia...everything I did was for her, no one else."

Her hand gripped the hilt in anger as she listened to him speak. It shook in her hand while she tried to restrain herself. "No one else? I find that hard to believe." She picked up her sword and pivoted to face him. She approached the table again and held the blade directly against his throat. "What other lies do you have to tell me? This is your last chance."

He swallowed again, his moving skin pressing against the sharp instrument held against him. "I just want to say that I have no regrets. And for all of eternity, the woman of my heart will always be --"

Blood splattered into her face. His love declaration died in the air, never to be heard in its entirety. She stood up straight and shook the sword free of any stray droplets. She heard footsteps behind her, but she didn't have to look to know it was Hisagi. He had finally ventured into the room and stood next to her. He looked at the corpse and then to Matsumoto. They were silent as the deed sunk in. She felt his stare on her face and shifted her gaze to him. Blood specks were all over her face but bright green eyes shone through. So did her smile.

The smirk on her lips shook Hisagi down to his soul. Despite the cruelty that had taken place within these walls, she was still able to find happiness in it all. After all the screams, blood, pleading, and eventual death at her hands, she still had the audacity to smile. The boldness and brashness of her demeanor was unsettling, and he couldn't understand where it had come from. Every torturous slice and stab she dispensed onto Junichi's body came with a dark enjoyment that stemmed from unknown origins, despite what she claimed to be the reason. He could only wonder what had to change within her to allow for such vile actions to flow out of her with uninhibited continuity. He knew she'd never tell him, but something inside of him went off, warning him of her. Nothing could have been more clear to him. He would have to keep an eye on her; if he wasn't careful, she could do something worse. Even worse than the pile of digits and cut-outs of skin that lay on the ground next to the dripping body of Junichi. He would have to remember to clean that up later.

"Look honey," she said, jerking her head toward the body. "He's dead. You know what that means, right?"

He shook his head slowly. "No. What does that mean?"

"Rukia is now free."

* * *

**AN: **My goodness. Seems like someone is getting out of control. Review if you like. Also on a side note, I just wanted to throw out there that I have a page on LiveJournal, in case anyone would like to friend me. I'm using my same penname. On my LJ page, I have random musings, fanfic community entries, and one-shots that aren't on this site. Also on my page, I have a list of the communities that I'm a part of, so maybe you could join if you wanted to! Drop me a line :)


	18. Discussion

**AN: **Whew! I'm sorry it took so long. I've just been wrapped up in writing other things... it's crazy. I thought I'd go straightforward in the dialogue toward the end. I felt like it was important to do it that way. A little later, you'll see why. But anyway, review if you like.

* * *

**Beneath You**

**Chapter Eighteen: **Discussion

"Wow, I hear you've been under a lot of stress lately. I'm surprised that it took you this long to come and talk to me about it. What -- you didn't want me to know?" Shunsui asked, setting aside the ever-present jug of sake after filling two small cups to the brim. He handed one to his guest, and they both took a drink.

Jyuushiro shook his head. "No, that's not it. I just wanted to make sure Rukia was okay before I started worrying about myself. You know how important she is to me."

Shunsui took a swig from the dripping cup. "I hear you. Just don't take so long next time. I was starting to think you wanted to keep me in the dark."

"Of course not."

"So," Shunsui cleared his throat and removed his straw hat for a quick hair-scratching session. "Did they ever find that kid?"

Jyuushiro shook his head again. "No. He still hasn't turned up."

"Do you think something happened to him?"

Brown eyes framed by silver hair stared at a spot on the wooden floor. He was silent for a second, then gave his answer. "I don't think so. I mean, it's a bit upsetting that he hasn't been spotted somewhere yet, but I have a feeling that someone will find him soon. He can't be missing for too much longer."

Letting the last drops of sake filter into his waiting mouth, Shunsui began to chuckle. He set the cup down and wiped his lips. "This is terrible... but it _would_ be beneficial to you if he didn't show up at all. At least then there wouldn't be any problems."

"Yeah," Jyuushiro agreed, scratching the back of his neck, eyes still trained on the floor. "It would make things a bit easier, and I know when he comes back the struggle will start all over again..."

"You're right, it would. But you just have to fight that much harder."

"That's true. But sometimes I wonder if she's even worth it..."

"Well, you came this far. She must mean _something_ to you," Shunsui shrugged. "But then again, if you are having this much doubt, then maybe you should stop pursuing her."

Jyuushiro rubbed his hands over his face. "But I can't let Junichi have her."

"So, you're going to go after her just so the boy won't have her?"

His eyebrows shot up. "No! That's not it at all! I just don't want to feel pressured into being with her right this second just because there's another guy wanting her just as bad. If he weren't here, then it wouldn't be so hard. That's all I'm saying."

Shunsui shrugged again. "There's nothing you can do about it. While the kid's gone, make your move. It'd be easier on you if you establish the beginning of something when he's not around. Then you'll be golden when he returns and she rejects him."

"Hmmm. Doesn't sound like too bad of an idea. I guess you're right."

A burp. "Of course I am. Now go! Lieutenant Kuchiki isn't in here, so go find her!"

Jyuushiro hopped to his feet. "I'm going to get her on my side. I can't let Junichi get in the way any longer! I'm going for it!"

"Good boy! Now leave."

* * *

Hisagi waited patiently against a wall in a secluded hallway of the Tenth Squad. This walkway was rarely used except for a storage space for random weaponry that wouldn't fit in the warehouse. Amongst the lower ranked shinigami of the Tenth Squad, this hallway was used for secret meetings and exchange of information. The exact thing that was about to happen.

"You're late."

"But I'm here," Matsumoto gasped, leaning on a trunk that had been painted shut to catch her breath. "My Captain needed me for helping him move some stuff into his office. I came here as soon as he would let me go."

He pushed himself off of the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. "It's fine. What we need to be talking about is what we're going to do with Junichi's body."

Her breathing slowing down to normal, she ran her free hand through her hair. "I would have to assume that we're going to move it somewhere..."

He rolled his eyes. "Of course we are! But it's still in the warehouse and we can't risk having someone going in there and finding it. Where are we going to move it to?"

"Well, last night after we left the warehouse I started thinking about that very thing. And I think I have a plan --"

"I have one too," he cut in. "How about we throw his body into a lake or something? We sneak the body out in the middle of the night, throw it into some water and hope for the best."

Orange curls bounced on her shoulders as she shook her head. "No. That should be one of the last things we would do. Eventually someone is going to find that body. Then they're going to start asking questions. We have to put it in a place that there is no chance of it being found."

He gave her a curious look. "Well, since you have a plan, then what is it? We don't have many options."

She took a moment to look all around them, making sure no one was listening in. Once she was satisfied, she continued. "This is what I was thinking: we take Junichi's body to a district far away from here. Maybe one protected by the Twelfth Squad or something. Then, we give him a funeral but under a different name. That way he's out of the way, nowhere to be found and nobody would think it was him. What do you think?"

Hisagi was silent. He just stared at her, the expression upon his face not reflecting anything he was thinking. He blinked slowly, then finally said something. "That idea... is great!"

Matsumoto squealed and clapped her hands together. "I knew you'd like it! So here's what I need you to do: I need you to seach out a good district to bury the kid. It needs to be pretty far away from either one of our squads' jurisdiction. We can't chance anything."

"Got it," he agreed, enveloping her into a hug. "I'll tell you what I found when we meet tonight, okay?"

"Okay," she said, hugging him back and kissing his cheek. "And be on time for our date..."

"Like your were on time for this?"

"Very funny."

* * *

**AN: **So a plan has been hatched in the disposal of Junichi. Will Rukia ever find out what happened to him? Or will her potentially budding relationship with Jyuushiro overshadow her concerns? Find out! Review if you like.


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